Travel, Translation and Transmedia Aesthetics: Franco-Chinese Literature and Visual Arts in a Global Age

This book explores the works of four contemporary Chinese migrant writer-artists in France, who have achieved great success in their host country. Their French texts and visual artworks are influenced by their Chinese cultural heritage, reflecting a strong translingual and transmedial sensibility. The book offers a unique perspective on intercultural encounter, French postcolonialism, and Chinese diasporic studies and contributes to contemporary debates about literary and artistic production, interpretation, and circulation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 252 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2022
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This captivating book delves into the captivating world of four remarkable contemporary first-generation Chinese migrant writer-artists who have found their artistic voice in France. Born in China, these individuals embarked on a journey to France in their adulthood, driven by a burning passion for literature and the arts. Their remarkable achievements have been recognized with the highest accolades from both French and Western institutions, ranging from the prestigious Grand Prix de la Francophonie to the esteemed Nobel Prize in Literature. Beyond their literary prowess, they have established themselves as versatile artists, excelling in various mediums such as writing, translation, calligraphy, painting, playwriting, and filmmaking.

While French has become their dominant language of artistic expression, their Chinese cultural heritage weaves its vibrant threads through their French texts and visual artworks. A testament to their strong translingual and transmedial sensibility, these artists seamlessly blend linguistic idioms, poetic imagery, and classical thought from their Chinese heritage into their French creations. Their work reflects a deep understanding and appreciation of the complexities of cultural translation, creating a rich tapestry of artistic expressions that transcend boundaries.

This book offers a unique perspective on intercultural encounters, French postcolonialism, and Chinese diasporic inquiries, expanding the horizons of existing studies in these fields. It provides a rich repository of distinctive literary and artistic examples that go beyond the confines of traditional studies. Moreover, it presents a theoretical framework that captures the dynamic interplay between the French/francophone and Chinese/sinophone spaces of articulation, contributing to contemporary debates about literary and artistic production, interpretation, and circulation in the global landscape of comparative/world literature and intermediality studies.

Through their artistic endeavors, these four remarkable writer-artists have not only enriched the cultural landscape of France but also left an indelible mark on the world of literature and the arts. Their stories, infused with the essence of both Chinese and French cultures, continue to resonate with audiences worldwide, inspiring and challenging us to explore the complexities of identity, culture, and the human experience.

Weight: 478g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789811655616
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021