Spreading its words

Pathlight magazine introduces contemporary Chinese literature and is published in several languages including German, Russian, Italian and English. Photos provided to China Daily

Thanks to new editions in different languages, a Chinese magazine publisher is bringing the country's contemporary literature to the world, Mei Jia reports.

Son of a robber, a betrayed woman and a lonely boy.

When he read stories of these characters in the first German issue of Pathlight magazine, Enrico Brandt, cultural affairs officer at the German embassy in Beijing, says he could feel their pain as they tasted society's cruelty.

Launched last month, the first of its kind literary magazine is tailor-made for German readers of today's Chinese literature by the editorial team of the parent Chinese magazine, People's Literature.

Two issues have also been published in French and Italian, and one each so far in Russian and Japanese. Newer versions are in development in seven additional languages, including Spanish, Arabic and Korean, according to the magazine's editor-in-chief, Shi Zhanjun.

A seminar on the French version is planned in Beijing on Jan 21.

Born soon after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, People's Literature magazine began as a record of contemporary Chinese literary life, and soon became a cradle that witnessed the birth of generations of renowned writers.

Shi tells China Daily that the multilingual twist of the top Chinese literary magazine was "triggered by the many zealous invitations we got from the relevant countries".

He sees it as a breakthrough, comparing to his past experience of seeing translated Chinese novels placed in foreign bookstores under the category of "sociology".