Göran Malmqvist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Göran Malmqvist
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Malmqvist in 2011
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| Born |
Nils Göran David Malmqvist
6 June 1924 |
| Died | 17 October 2019 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Alma mater | Stockholm University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ancient Chinese history, literature |
| Institutions | Australian National University Stockholm University |
| Doctoral advisor | Bernhard Karlgren |
| Member of the Swedish Academy (Seat No. 5) |
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| In office 20 December 1985 – 17 October 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Olsson |
| Succeeded by | Ingrid Carlberg |
Nils Göran David Malmqvist (born 6 June 1924 – died 17 October 2019) was a Swedish expert in languages, literature, and Chinese studies. He was also a famous translator. From 1985 to 2019, he was a member of the Swedish Academy.
Contents
Life and Early Studies
Göran Malmqvist was born on 6 June 1924, in Jönköping, Sweden. He started learning Chinese from a well-known expert named Bernhard Karlgren at Stockholm University.
After his studies in Sweden, Malmqvist went to China from 1948 to 1950 to continue learning. When he came back to Stockholm, he earned a special degree in 1951. His international career began soon after.
Working Around the World
From 1953 to 1955, Malmqvist taught Chinese at the University of London. Later, from 1956 to 1958, he worked in Beijing (then called Peking) as a cultural attaché for Sweden. This meant he helped share Swedish culture in China.
In 1958, he moved to Australia. He worked for seven years at the Australian National University in Canberra. Because of his important writings about Chinese language history, he became a Professor of Chinese at the university in 1961.
During his time in Australia, Malmqvist wrote many articles about both old and modern Chinese. He studied how Chinese sounds changed over time (called phonology) and how different groups of people spoke Chinese (called dialects).
Writing and Translations
In 1965, Malmqvist returned to Stockholm. He became a Professor of Sinology, focusing on modern Chinese, at Stockholm University. This is when he also started his important work as a translator.
Translating Chinese Literature
Malmqvist translated more than 40 books of Chinese literature. These books came from different time periods, different Chinese languages, and different types of stories. One of his first translation projects was a collection of poems from the Tang Dynasty.
In 1971, he published textbooks like Nykinesisk grammatik (Grammar of Modern Chinese) and Nykinesisk fonetik (Phonetics of Modern Chinese). He also wrote large parts about Chinese literature for a book called World History of Literature. In 1974, he published a popular book called Kinesiska är inte svårt (Chinese isn't difficult).
Famous Chinese Novels
During the 1970s, Malmqvist worked on translating a very long adventure story called Water Margin. In Swedish, it was titled Berättelser från träskmarkerna (Tales from the Swamps). This huge work came out in four parts between 1976 and 1979.
He also translated the five volumes of Journey to the West (in Swedish, Färden till västern). This is a famous 16th-century story about a pilgrim who travels from India to China to bring back holy Buddhist writings.
Swedish Academy Member
Göran Malmqvist was chosen to be a member of the Swedish Academy on 11 April 1985. He officially joined on 20 December 1985. He took over Chair number 5 from another literary expert, Henry Olsson.
After joining the Swedish Academy, Malmqvist wrote a large book about his teacher, Bernhard Karlgren. The book, published in 1995, was called Bernhard Karlgren – ett forskarporträtt (Bernhard Karlgren – portrait of a scholar). In it, Malmqvist described Karlgren's pioneering work in Chinese studies, including his trips to China in 1910–1912 to study different Chinese dialects.
In 2012, when Chinese author Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize, some people questioned if there was a conflict of interest. Malmqvist had translated several of Mo Yan's books into Swedish and had a close friendship with Mo Yan's wife. The Nobel committee, however, said that this was not a conflict of interest and that Malmqvist's deep knowledge of Chinese literature was important.
See also
In Spanish: Göran Malmqvist para niños
