[box style=”info”]Guadalajara, Mexico, December 2015[/box]

 

Royal Collins announced the first Spanish fiction, The Ancient Ship had received widely attention by Latin America publishing industry at Guadalajara which is the biggest book show in Spanish world.

 

Originally published in 1987, two years before the Tiananmen Square protests, Zhang Wei’s award-winning novel is the story of three generations of the Sui, Zhao, and Li families living in the fictional northern town of Wali during China’s troubled postliberation years.

 

Spanning four decades following the creation of the People’s Republic in 1949, The Ancient Ship is a bold examination of a society in turmoil, the struggle of oppressed people to control their own fate, and the clash between tradition and modernization. In the course of the narrative, the townspeople of Wali face the moments that have defined China’s history during the latter part of the twentieth century: the land reform programs, the famine of 1959-1961, the Great Leap Forward, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, and the Cultural Revolution. Translated into English for the very first time, The Ancient Ship is a revolutionary work of Chinese fiction that speaks to people across the globe.

 

As one of the greatest Chinese modern authors, Mr. Zhang Wei has written too many great works. Right now, he has published more than 14 million words which form a beautiful and great literature kingdom. The Ancient Ship is the crown of this literature kingdom. Professor Howard Goldblatt also made the following comments on Mr. Zhang Wei’s works.

 

“ As one of contemporary China’s most prolific and widely respected novelists, Zhang Wei has remained a secret in the West. This fine translation for one of his most complex novels will change that secret and can promote a welcome addition to the growing corpus of Chinese fiction in English.”

 

In 2007, Harper Collins published the English edition of the Ancient Ship. Dr. Howard Goldblatt was the foremost translator of this book. It gave a big shock to the world publishing industry, especially to the American publishing industry. Mr. Robert Palmer, American indexer and former Secretary of the American Society for Indexing highly praised Mr. Zhang Wei.

 

“In all my years of research, reading and study, in my half-century of involvement with publishing, I can say without doubt or hesitation that Zhang Wei is one of the most outstanding, most representative writers in all Asia.”

 

With the English edition, the French edition was published by Roman Seuil. This edition was selected by the Ministry of Education, France as a text book in high college. It’s a classical textbook for French students to study modern Chinese literature. Then this book is also published in Japan, Korea, Sweden, Russia and Turkey. So the Ancient Ship has a global influence and international meaning.

 

Mr. Israel Sandoval, an official of the Ministry of Education, Mexico Government, thinks this book can be used as an additional textbook on foreign literature in Mexico colleges and universities. The official of CONACULTA also thinks this book can apply the funds if any Mexico publisher can buy the rights. During the Guadalajara International Book Fair, many Mexico readers and publishers have expressed that they love this book very much. The publishers and distributors from Spain, Argentina, Columbia, Chile and Cuba are also very interested in this book. Meanwhile, China Intercontinental Press has signed the agreement with Royal Collins, the Spanish edition of The Ancient Ship will be published and distributed in China mainland market.

 

Thus, the first print volume is more than 2000 copies. As the first Spanish novel, Royal Collins will also continuously promote this book at 2016 London Book Fair and Book Expo America.

 

From Publishers Weekly

 

In his epic novel, originally published in 1987, Zhang explores China’s upheaval in the decades after the creation of the People’s Republic in 1949. At the heart of the story are the three major families in the small town of Wali. The Sui family was among the wealthiest until political change left them with little more than grief and anger. The Zhao clan, on the other hand, rose to power during the revolution’s violence, some of which the clan helped direct at the Suis. The Li clan, known for eccentricities, pushed the town toward industrialization. As the nonlinear narrative spirals backwards and forwards through time, the disturbing details of Wali’s history are unearthed, including graphic descriptions of the cruel punishments meted out in the name of reform (and revenge). In Zhang’s capable hands, Wali becomes a microcosm of the turmoil China during the pivotal political and cultural moments of the 20th century. Written two years before the Tiananmen Square protests,this multilayered historical tale of remembrance, accountability plays a powerful role in people’s lives.

 

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http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Harperperennial-Modern-Chinese-Classics/dp/0061436909/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1457278589&sr=8-10&keywords=Ancient+Ship

 

[box style=”info”] About Royal Collins[/box]

Royal Collins Publishing Group Inc. is a global publisher and distributor based in Montreal. The company started as an academic book publisher in 2012 and has since grown into a comprehensive publishing industry services company offering numerous solutions, including book distribution, print-on-demand and digital services.

 

Committed to the success of its partners, Royal Collins works closely with publishers, retailers, libraries and schools around the world. In providing the right products and services for success in the dynamic and increasingly complex world of content publishing, Royal Collins now has eight operating units in North America, Asia and Europe. Learn more about Royal Collins Publishing Group at www.royalcollins.com.