Mo and his hometown aren't the only one's cashing in on the Nobel win: the fact that Swedish Academy member and Chinese-speaking translator Göran Malmqvist might well be cashing in has raised a few eyebrows, too.
As Elias Groll asks at the Passport weblog at Foreign Policy Was there a conflict of interest behind the Nobel literature prize ? [via] noting that:
Now, while it's admirable for Malmqvist to have provided translations for his colleagues (many could have read many of the works in one of the other translations, but considering the liberties taken by, for example, Goldblatt with the English translations, it's obviously preferable to get a more direct translation into a language they are more comfortable with), it is problematic when he is able to cash in on those translations in such a big way -- especially since, as: "Peter Englund, the academy's permanent secretary, confirmed to Swedish Television that Malmqvist was highly involved in discussions around awarding Mo the prize." Very problematic.
The obvious solution would be for Malqvist to defer to Mo's usual Swedish translator, Anna Gustafsson Chen -- even now, after the fact; quite honestly, it would be shocking if anything else happened. (It's also very curious that the Swedish Academy did not commission outside translations from the get-go, by Chen or someone else: they've made a big deal about saying how that's what they do when they have to consider an author whose work isn't widely enough translated, and it would have kept Malmqvist completely clear of any potential conflict of interest issues; as is, he doesn't merely seem to have stepped into one, he's entirely submerged in this mud. Allowing Malmqvist to make and submit the translations to the other Academy members is problematic not just because of the potential monetary reward down the road, but because it casts the translations themselves into doubt: an ardent Mo-supporter, he may well have tailored the translations -- consciously or subconsciously -- to make them more palatable to his fellow judges.)
Enquist address some of this at his weblog, in this entry. Here Enquist says that, far from cashing in, "men om så sker har jag förstått att han kommer att skänka bort rätten till översättningarna till förlaget i fråga" -- i.e. it's his understanding that Malmqvist will give away the rights (i.e. he won't profit). This remains to be confirmed (and given that the publisher himself suggested otherwise, confirmation is definitely needed), but would certainly help tidy up appearances a bit.
Enquist also says he wishes more Academicians would provide translations -- but I have to disagree. I do think the Academicians should be provided with more translations -- but outsiders should be doing the translating. It's a bad, bad idea to let those who then also decide who is to get the prize become involved in this aspect of things too.
Göran Malmqvist, a sinologist and member of the Swedish Academy, was instrumental in Mo's selection, lobbying the academy to recognize the Chinese writer and providing Swedish translations of the writer's work to other members of the academy. Now he stands to benefit financially from those translations. According to a report by Swedish Television, Malmqvist will provide his translations to a Swedish publisher for publication. And according to the head of that publishing company, Tranan, because of the intense interest on Mo's work as a result of his Nobel win Malmqvist will likely be able to name his own price.This is pretty interesting: as the Nobel's nice bio-bibliographical page for Mo shows, only three of his works have been published in Swedish translation -- half of what is available in German and Spanish, and a fraction of what has been translated into English and French.
Now, while it's admirable for Malmqvist to have provided translations for his colleagues (many could have read many of the works in one of the other translations, but considering the liberties taken by, for example, Goldblatt with the English translations, it's obviously preferable to get a more direct translation into a language they are more comfortable with), it is problematic when he is able to cash in on those translations in such a big way -- especially since, as: "Peter Englund, the academy's permanent secretary, confirmed to Swedish Television that Malmqvist was highly involved in discussions around awarding Mo the prize." Very problematic.
The obvious solution would be for Malqvist to defer to Mo's usual Swedish translator, Anna Gustafsson Chen -- even now, after the fact; quite honestly, it would be shocking if anything else happened. (It's also very curious that the Swedish Academy did not commission outside translations from the get-go, by Chen or someone else: they've made a big deal about saying how that's what they do when they have to consider an author whose work isn't widely enough translated, and it would have kept Malmqvist completely clear of any potential conflict of interest issues; as is, he doesn't merely seem to have stepped into one, he's entirely submerged in this mud. Allowing Malmqvist to make and submit the translations to the other Academy members is problematic not just because of the potential monetary reward down the road, but because it casts the translations themselves into doubt: an ardent Mo-supporter, he may well have tailored the translations -- consciously or subconsciously -- to make them more palatable to his fellow judges.)
Enquist address some of this at his weblog, in this entry. Here Enquist says that, far from cashing in, "men om så sker har jag förstått att han kommer att skänka bort rätten till översättningarna till förlaget i fråga" -- i.e. it's his understanding that Malmqvist will give away the rights (i.e. he won't profit). This remains to be confirmed (and given that the publisher himself suggested otherwise, confirmation is definitely needed), but would certainly help tidy up appearances a bit.
Enquist also says he wishes more Academicians would provide translations -- but I have to disagree. I do think the Academicians should be provided with more translations -- but outsiders should be doing the translating. It's a bad, bad idea to let those who then also decide who is to get the prize become involved in this aspect of things too.