ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the translation and reception of contemporary Chinese novels in the English-speaking world over the past 40 years since 1978. It divides this period into four stages based on major historical events, exploring the characteristics of each stage and the theme of translated novels, and listing the representative authors and works in each period. Chinese novels selected for translation are classified into two major forms: independent books and anthologies selected by sinologists. Closely intertwined with the historical context, this chapter outlines the overall trajectory and development trend of Chinese literature translation over the past 40 years from a macro and diachronic perspective, revealing a tendency of increasing diversity in the subject matter of translated works, increasing number of translations, and growing importance of active and state-led translation projects. Furthermore, the translation of paratexts in novels and anthology are also explored in this chapter, thus delving into the considerations and actions of translators in terms of translation strategies and selection of texts.
