ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an account of The Four Books in Czech translation as experienced and witnessed by one of the protagonists, the translator. It is the story of Yan Lianke and his writing as much as it is the story of the still continuing efforts of a small publisher and a group of Sinologists to bring contemporary Chinese writing to the attention of Czech readers. It is a story deeply embedded in literary practice, a multi-faceted story on how Yan is read in Czech, from the publisher's consideration via the translator's perspective to critical reception, a story that tackles some of the specifics of the Czech interactions with Yan's writing.
