Olivia Milburn
Olivia Milburn (born 1976) is a sinologist, 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 the Dream of the Red Chamber.[2][3] She completed a bachelor's degree at St Hilda's College, University of Oxford in 1998, a master's at Downing College, University of Cambridge in 1999, and a doctorate in classical Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2003. After working as a lecturer at the University of London, she joined Seoul National University in 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 including Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom,[4] Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou,[5] and The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan.[6]
She is also a literary Chinese-to-English translator.[7] Her translations include the bestselling novel Decoded by Mai Jia (co-translated by Christopher Payne), which caught her attention because of a family connection: her grandfather was a codebreaker in 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 a Special 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. ISBN 9789047443995.[10]
- Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center, 2013. ISBN 9780674726680.[4]
- Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015. ISBN 9780295994604.[5]
- The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan. Leiden: EJ Brill, 2016. ISBN 9789004309661.[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. ISBN 9781250062352.
- (With Christopher Payne) Mai Jia, In the Dark. London: Penguin, 2015. ISBN 9780141391458.
- (With Christopher Payne) Jiang Zilong, Empires of Dust. London: ACA Publishing, 2019. ISBN 9781910760338.
- 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]- ^ a b "Olivia Milburn | School of Chinese, HKU". The University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b Kim, Boram (October 17, 2008). "Professor Olivia Milburn: At Home in the World". Seoul National University.
- ^ a b Mei, Jia (22 August 2018). "China recognizes 15 in prestigious book awards". China Daily.
- ^ a b Reviews of Cherishing Antiquity:
- Miles, Steven B. (June 2014). The American Historical Review. 119 (3): 867–868. doi:10.1093/ahr/119.3.867.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Marmé, Michael (February 2015). The Journal of Asian Studies. 74 (1): 204–205. doi:10.1017/S0021911814001909. JSTOR 43553667. S2CID 161377122.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Chang, Chun-Shu (September 2015). Journal of World History. 26 (3): 686–691. doi:10.1353/jwh.2015.0029. JSTOR 43901792. S2CID 164031036.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Farmer, J. Michael (December 2015). Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews. 37: 186–189. JSTOR 26357347.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Vogt, Paul Nicholas (January 2016). "Milburn, Olivia:Cherishing Antiquity. The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom" (PDF). Orientalistische Literaturzeitung. 111 (2): 182–184. doi:10.1515/olzg-2016-0064. S2CID 163973907.
- Brindley, Erica (2017). "Review". Chinese Literature Today. 6 (1): 143. ProQuest 2118188760.
- Miles, Steven B. (June 2014). The American Historical Review. 119 (3): 867–868. doi:10.1093/ahr/119.3.867.
- ^ a b Reviews of Urbanization in Early and Medieval China:
- Feng, Linda Rui (2014). China Review International. 21 (2): 185–188. doi:10.1353/cri.2014.0017. JSTOR 24859876.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Zhang, Cong Ellen (November 2016). Journal of Chinese History. 1 (1): 214–215. doi:10.1017/jch.2016.16.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Felt, David Jonathan (April–June 2018). Journal of the American Oriental Society. 138 (2): 442–443. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.2.0442. JSTOR 10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.2.0442.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Feng, Linda Rui (2014). China Review International. 21 (2): 185–188. doi:10.1353/cri.2014.0017. JSTOR 24859876.
- ^ a b Reviews of The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan:
- Pines, Yuri (January–March 2018). Journal of the American Oriental Society. 138 (1): 147–149. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.1.0147. JSTOR 10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.1.0147.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Weingarten, Oliver (April 2018). Asiatische Studien – Études Asiatiques. 72 (1): 305–317. doi:10.1515/asia-2017-0087. S2CID 104021708.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Pines, Yuri (January–March 2018). Journal of the American Oriental Society. 138 (1): 147–149. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.1.0147. JSTOR 10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.1.0147.
- ^ Davis, Chris (11 June 2014). "Unlocking China's literary gems through translation". China Daily.
- ^ "Chinese bestsellers take on the world". The Telegraph. 4 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019.
- ^ "Book review: "Decoded" by Mai Jia (Trs by Olivia Milburn and Christopher Payne)". The Independent. 26 January 2014.
- ^ Reviews of The Glory of Yue:
- Weingarten, Oliver (2011). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 74 (3): 511–513. doi:10.1017/S0041977X11000619. JSTOR 41288006.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Brindley, Erica (March 2012). Journal of Chinese Philosophy. 39 (1): 163–165. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6253.2012.01708.x.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Weingarten, Oliver (2011). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 74 (3): 511–513. doi:10.1017/S0041977X11000619. JSTOR 41288006.
- ^ Fang, Fang (2022-11-18). "The Walls of Wuchang". Sinoist Books. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Chaffetz, David (2022-03-14). "Two New Translations of Feng Menglong's Classic "Chronicles"". Asian Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
- ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 1: The Curse of the Bao Lords. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38100-1.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 2: The Exile Returns. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38103-2.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 3: The Death of a Southern Hero. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38107-0.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 4: The Assassins Strike. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38110-0.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link)