Chinese writer Yu Hua's works introduced at Hungarian literary event

Hungarian sinologist and literary translator Klara Zombory(C), Eva Kalmar(R) and Miklos M. Nagy, author and director of the Helikon publisher, attend an event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary held in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 15, 2022. A literary event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary was held here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Chen Hao)

BUDAPEST, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The oeuvre of famous Chinese contemporary writer Yu Hua was at the center of a recent event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary here in a trendy literary cafe-bookshop.

The Chinese author greeted the book club, which premiered with his books Thursday evening, in a video message.

"Each of my works is about the lives and experiences of Chinese people, Chinese people who are shaped by experiencing the changes of the times," Yu said.

The literary event was chaired by Klara Zombory, a sinologist and literary translator. The guests talked about Yu's renowned novel "To Live", the grotesque elements and the omnipresence of life and death in his writings.

Zombory told Xinhua that said that Yu was one of her favorite writers, and translating his work was the reason she became a literary translator.

Explaining Yu's success in Europe, she said Yu's language is easy to understand and the stories he tells are interesting to Europeans.

On the purpose of setting up the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club, Zombory said she believed that translating books was not enough, and there needed to be such activities to introduce these books to Hungarian readers.

Hungarian sinologist and literary translator Eva Kalmar said that Yu, considered a master of avant-garde, was a rare expert of modern Chinese society, and depicted its elements in a meticulous way.

Miklos M. Nagy, an author and director of the Helikon publisher, said that Yu was a well-known and popular writer in Hungary. Five of Yu's books have been published in Hungary, and his latest novel "Wencheng" will soon be published in the country.

Daniel Fodor, a young lawyer trainee, said he was eager to learn more about the writer and Chinese literature in general after attending the event.

The event was co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Budapest, with support from the Chinese Writers Association.