Michael Berry 's translation of Yu Hua's award-winning novel, "To Live," has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its The Big Read initiative. Berry is a UCLA professor in Asian languages and cultures.
Berry’s translation of "To Live" was first published by Anchor Books in 2003 and has been adopted widely for high school and college courses. Generally regarded as a classic of contemporary Chinese fiction, "To Live" is an epic novel that spans more than four decades of modern Chinese history as it traces the story of Fugui and his family.
The novel has been translated into numerous languages and been awarded multiple honors, including the Grinzane Vavour Prize (1998) and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2004). In 1994 acclaimed director Zhang Yimou released a film adaptation that was recognized with the Best Actor and Grand Prix prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.
The Big Read is a national program that offers grants to support organizations in developing community-wide programs which encourage reading and participation by diverse audiences. They have a select list of books that are included in the list of titles to be supported, which in the past has included classics like "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Great Gatsby," and "The Call of the Wild." This summer NEA revamped the program with a new list of 28 titles. While the list was previously limited to works written in the English language, this year The Big Read featured two books of literary translation, including "To Live."
Go to the NEA Big Read website for a podcast interview with professor Berry, discussion questions and other resources.
