Packaged with an overpowering amount of primary materials and secondary sources, this book is a major study of triangular comparisons and interactions of Russo-Japanese-Sino transculturation across a broad landscape from Pushkin to Lu Xun, all based on the author’s own intimate command of three languages: Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. The author, Xiaolu Ma, writes in a dense but elegant style, whose knowledge of the Russian language gives her a great advantage, as obscure texts appear in refreshing light in this 'trans-space' of modernity. All in all, this 'snapshot' turns out to be a masterful scholarly tome and definitely a major achievement.
-- Leo Ou-fan Lee, Professor Emeritus of Chinese Literature, Harvard University
In this very original and theoretically sophisticated study, Xiaolu Ma explores the complex processes of cultural exchange whereby key works of Russian literature were translated into Chinese via Japan. She demonstrates how through triangulation with the Russian and Japanese worlds of letters, a model of modernity was offered to China that was different from that of the West. Using the concept of relay transculturation, and with impressive mastery of three languages, she offers subtle and detailed readings of key works and their translators.
-- Stephen Smith, Emeritus Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford University