Għoljet il-Qasab

Din it-traduzzjoni miċ-Ċiniż għall-Malti hija t-tmienja u għoxrin traduzzjoni tal-kullana ta’ Traduzzjonijiet Faraxa taħt il-ħarsien tal-Prof. Toni Aquilina.

Għoljet il-Qasab huwa rumanz għaż-żgħażagħ u mhux-daqshekk żgħażagħ li kienet ħarġet l-awtriċi Ċiniża minn Shanghai, Yin Jian Ling fl-2016.  It-titlu huwa isem ta' kulleġġ immexxi minn patrijiet fl-ewwel snin tas-seklu 20 fil-Lvant taċ-Ċina, li t-tifsira tiegħu hija L-Għolja tal-Qasab (il-forma mqassra -  Għoljet il-Qasab).  L-isem biċ-Ċiniż huwa "Ye Mang Po", li tfisser "L-Għolja fejn jikber il-Qasab Selvaġġ".

Il-ġrajja tal-ktieb iddur madwar tifel Ċiniż, You An, li jitlef lil ommu waqt il-ħlas, u missieru u l-mara l-ġdida tiegħu, ma jittrattawhx tajjeb. Il-mara, b’mod partikolari, issawtu u taħqru tant li t-tifel jaħrab mid-dar u jispiċċa f'orfanotrofju mmexxi mis-sorijiet. Żmien wara joħduh fil-kulleġġ ta' Għoljet il-Qasab fejn jibda jinteressa ruħu fil-pittura u fl-iskultura ...

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Hawnhekk jinduna li l-ħajja hija vjaġġ li fih il-bniedem jimxi minn post għall-ieħor, jiltaqa' ma' karattri u kulturi differenti ... imma fuq kollox jiskopri wkoll il-potenzjal u l-kapaċitajiet moħbija ġo fih. Tispikka t-tema tal-arti Ċiniża u kif din hija differenti f'bosta aspetti minn dik tal-Punent.

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Jirnexxielu You An isib u jiżviluppa t-talent artistiku tiegħu matul il-vjaġġ tiegħu, minkejja l-isfidi u d-diffikultajiet kollha li jiltaqa' magħhom?

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Yin Jian Ling hija awtriċi Ċiniża magħrufa sew għall‑kotba tagħha għat‑tfal u għaż‑żgħażagħ. Twieldet fl‑1971 f’Shanghai u studjat fl‑Universitajiet ta’ Huadong u ta’ Shanghai. Hija wkoll editriċi tal‑ġurnal Xinmin wanbao.

Tikteb poeżiji, esejs, artikli, kummentarji u rumanzi. Rebħet diversi premjijiet prestiġjużi tal‑letteratura għall‑kotba tagħha, fosthom il‑Premju Chen Bochui. Fost il‑bosta xogħlijiet tagħha nsibu Nies tal‑Karti (2000), Qamar Blu fil‑Palma ta’ Jdejja (2011), Il‑Qattus fl‑Inkwatru (2011), Ħelu tal‑Menta (2013), u l‑aħħar rumanz tagħha Għoljet il‑Qasab (2016).

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Stephen Cachia huwa għalliem, lettur, kittieb u traduttur. Twieled fl-1976 f'San Pawl il-Baħar u ggradwa mill-Università ta' Malta u l-Università ta' New England fl-Awstralja. Huwa għex, studja u ħadem iċ-Ċina, l-iktar f'Shangai (2010). Poeżiji u novelli tiegħu dehru f'diversi antoloġiji u ġurnali lokali. Ix-xogħol teatrali tiegħu Ilħna mill-Qiegħ ittella' fiċ-Ċentru tad-Drama fl-2003. Fl-2007 ħareġ il-ktieb tal-poeżiji Żifef u Rwiefen flimkien mal-kittieb Patrick Sammut. Jgħallem ukoll il-lingwa Ċiniża u l-Istorja taċ-Ċina fid-Dipartiment tal-Istudji Orjentali fl-Università ta' Malta.

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This Chinese-to-Maltese translation is the 28th translation in the Faraxa Translation Series, under the guidance of Prof. Toni Aquilina.

Għoljet il-Qasab is a novel for young - and not so young - adults that was written by the Chinese author from Shanghai Yin Jian Ling, in 2016. Its title is the name of a college run by monks in the early years of the 20th century in Eastern China, meaning Wild Reeds Hill. The Chinese title is "Ye Mang Po", which means "The Hill on which Wild Reeds grow".

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The story follows a Chinese boy, YouAn, who loses his mother during childbirth, and whose father and stepmother do not treat him well. His stepmother, in particular, beats him and mistreats him so much that the boy runs away from home and ends up in an orphanage run by nuns. After a while they take him to the college of Wild Reeds Hill where he begins to show an interest in painting and sculpture ...

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Here he realises that life is a journey in which man moves from place to place, meeting different people and cultures ... but above all he discovers his hidden potential and capabilities. The theme of Chinese art is highlighted, as well as how it differs in many ways from that of the West.

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Does You An manage to find and develop his artistic talents throughout his journey, in spite of all the challenges and difficulties he is met with?

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Yin Jianling (born 1971) is a Chinese writer of children's literature. She is the senior editor of the Shanghai newspaper Xinmin wanbao. The writer has a B.A. from the Law and Politics Department at Huadong Normal University, and an M.A. from the Chinese Literature Department at Shanghai Normal University. Yin was eighteen when her poetry was published in Youth Literature and Art《少年文艺》. She has continued to write and publish poetry, essays, novels, reportage, and opinions. She was the editor-in-chief of a woman’s magazine, and she became a member of the China Writers Association in 1998 and has a key role in the Shanghai Writers Association. Yin has won numerous awards for her books, including the prestigious Chen Bochui Awards for Children's Literature.

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Stephen Cachia is a teacher, lecturer, writer and translator. He was born in 1976 in St Paul's Bay and graduated from the University of Malta and the University of New England in Australia. He lived, studied and worked in China, mainly in Shanghai (2010). His poems and short stories have been published in a number of anthologies and local newspapers. His theatrical work Ilħna mill-Qiegħ was performed at the Drama Centre in 2003. In 2007 he published a poetry book called Żifef u Rwiefen along with writer Patrick Sammut. He also teaches Chinese language and Chinese history in the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Malta.