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Olivia Milburn

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Olivia Milburn(born 1976) is asinologist,author and literary translator who specialises in Chinese cultural history and in Chinese minority groups.

Life and career[edit]

Milburn is a professor at the School of Chinese,Hong Kong University.[1]

Milburn grew up in a multilingual family living in eight different countries,[2] and became interested in Chinese literature as a teenager, after reading a translation of theDream of the Red Chamber.[2][3] She completed a bachelor's degree atSt Hilda's College,University of Oxfordin 1998, a master's atDowning College,University of Cambridgein 1999, and a doctorate in classical Chinese at theSchool of Oriental and African Studies,University of Londonin 2003. After working as a lecturer at the University of London, she joinedSeoul National Universityin 2008 and was appointed as a professor there in 2017. She started her current role at Hong Kong University in April 2022.[1]

Contributions[edit]

Milburn has authored several books includingCherishing Antiquity:The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom,[4]Urbanization in Early and Medieval China:Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou,[5]andThe Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan.[6]

She is also a literary Chinese-to-English translator.[7]Her translations include the bestselling novelDecodedbyMai Jia(co-translated by Christopher Payne), which caught her attention because of a family connection: her grandfather was acodebreakerin World War II, like the book's protagonist.[citation needed]Her translation has been praised for its "tightly wrought aphorisms" and for "the classic beauty and elegant taste of the language".[8][9]

In 2018, Milburn's translation work was recognised by the Chinese government with aSpecial Book Award of China,which honours contributions to bridging cultures and fostering understanding.[3]

Selected works[edit]

  • The Glory of Yue: An Annotated Translation of the Yuejue shu.Leiden: EJ Brill, 2010.ISBN9789047443995.[10]
  • Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom.Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center, 2013.ISBN9780674726680.[4]
  • Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou.Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015.ISBN9780295994604.[5]
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan.Leiden: EJ Brill, 2016.ISBN9789004309661.[6]
  • The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction.Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2021. ISBN 978-0295748757.

Selected translations[edit]

  • (With Christopher Payne) Mai Jia,Decoded.London: Allan Lane, 2014; and New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.ISBN9781250062352.
  • (With Christopher Payne) Mai Jia,In the Dark.London: Penguin, 2015.ISBN9780141391458.
  • (With Christopher Payne)Jiang Zilong,Empires of Dust.London: ACA Publishing, 2019.ISBN9781910760338.
  • Mai Jia,The Message.London: Head of Zeus, 2020. ISBN 978-1789543018.
  • Feng Jicai,Faces in the Crowd: 36 Extraordinary Tales of Tianjin.London: Sinoist Books, 2020. ISBN 978-1910760482.
  • Feng Jicai,A Looking-Glass World.London: Sinoist Books, 2021. ISBN 978-1838905149
  • Fang Fang,The Walls of Wuchang.London: Sinoist Books 2022. ISBN 9781838905118[11]
  • Feng Menglong,Kingdoms in Peril: A Novel of the Ancient Chinese World at War.Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2022. ISBN 9780520380516.[12]
  • Feng Menglong,Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 1, The Curse of the Bao Lords.Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381001[13]
  • Feng Menglong,Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 2, The Exile Returns.Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381032.[14]
  • Feng Menglong,Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 3, The Death of a Southern Hero.Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381070.[15]
  • Feng Menglong,Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 4, The Assassins Strike.Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381100.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Olivia Milburn | School of Chinese, HKU".The University of Hong Kong.Retrieved2022-04-27.
  2. ^abKim, Boram (October 17, 2008)."Professor Olivia Milburn: At Home in the World".Seoul National University.
  3. ^abMei, Jia (22 August 2018)."China recognizes 15 in prestigious book awards".China Daily.
  4. ^abReviews ofCherishing Antiquity:
  5. ^abReviews ofUrbanization in Early and Medieval China:
  6. ^abReviews ofThe Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan:
  7. ^Davis, Chris (11 June 2014)."Unlocking China's literary gems through translation".China Daily.
  8. ^"Chinese bestsellers take on the world".The Telegraph.4 December 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2019.
  9. ^"Book review:" Decoded "by Mai Jia (Trs by Olivia Milburn and Christopher Payne)".The Independent.26 January 2014.
  10. ^Reviews ofThe Glory of Yue:
  11. ^Fang, Fang (2022-11-18)."The Walls of Wuchang".Sinoist Books.Retrieved2023-10-04.
  12. ^Chaffetz, David (2022-03-14)."Two New Translations of Feng Menglong's Classic" Chronicles "".Asian Review of Books.Retrieved2022-04-23.
  13. ^Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31).Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 1: The Curse of the Bao Lords.Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-38100-1.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31).Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 2: The Exile Returns.Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-38103-2.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31).Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 3: The Death of a Southern Hero.Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-38107-0.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  16. ^Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31).Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 4: The Assassins Strike.Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-38110-0.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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