Minor Literature as a Vital Component of World Literature: Lu Xun’s Translation of Bulgarian Literature via German Sources

Abstract

At the turn of the twentieth century, many Chinese translators departed from the mainstream approach to world literature advocated by Western powers and turned their attention to what Chinese theorists call the “literature of weak and small nations.” China’s marginalized position in the international political and economic order of the time prompted the pursuit of a discourse to address imperialism and national identity, as well as problems of social injustice and oppression. This article draws on Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s interpretation of “minor literature” to analyze Lu Xun’s interest in the literature of weak and small nations, which developed against the backdrop of the European formation of a canonical genealogy of world literature ( Weltliteratur). By introducing Chinese readers to relevant literary history and translating selected works of fiction, Lu Xun formed an imagined community of letters joining China to the weak and small nations — despite his heavy reliance on German sources that took a markedly canonical stance. This article focuses on Lu Xun’s translation and interpretation of two short stories by Ivan Vazov, Bulgaria’s pre-eminent modern writer, to explore how the literature of weak and small nations assisted Lu Xun in negotiating not only with Western cultural hegemony but also with Chinese tradition and nationalism.