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Olivia Milburn

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Olivia Milburn (born 1976) is a sinologist, author and literary translator who specialises in Chinese cultural history and in Chinese minority groups.

Life and career

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Milburn is a professor at the School of Chinese, Hong Kong University.[1]

Milburn grew up in a multilingual family living in eight different countries,[2] and became interested in Chinese literature as a teenager, after reading a translation of the Dream of the Red Chamber.[2][3] She completed a bachelor's degree at St Hilda's College, University of Oxford in 1998, a master's at Downing College, University of Cambridge in 1999, and a doctorate in classical Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2003. After working as a lecturer at the University of London, she joined Seoul National University in 2008 and was appointed as a professor there in 2017. She started her current role at Hong Kong University in April 2022.[1]

Contributions

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Milburn has authored several books including Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom,[4] Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou,[5] and The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan.[6]

She is also a literary Chinese-to-English translator.[7] Her translations include the bestselling novel Decoded by Mai Jia (co-translated by Christopher Payne), which caught her attention because of a family connection: her grandfather was a codebreaker in World War II, like the book's protagonist.[citation needed] Her translation has been praised for its "tightly wrought aphorisms" and for "the classic beauty and elegant taste of the language".[8][9]

In 2018, Milburn's translation work was recognised by the Chinese government with a Special Book Award of China, which honours contributions to bridging cultures and fostering understanding.[3]

Selected works

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  • The Glory of Yue: An Annotated Translation of the Yuejue shu. Leiden: EJ Brill, 2010. ISBN 9789047443995.[10]
  • Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center, 2013. ISBN 9780674726680.[4]
  • Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015. ISBN 9780295994604.[5]
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan. Leiden: EJ Brill, 2016. ISBN 9789004309661.[6]
  • The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2021. ISBN 978-0295748757.

Selected translations

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  • (With Christopher Payne) Mai Jia, Decoded. London: Allan Lane, 2014; and New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. ISBN 9781250062352.
  • (With Christopher Payne) Mai Jia, In the Dark. London: Penguin, 2015. ISBN 9780141391458.
  • (With Christopher Payne) Jiang Zilong, Empires of Dust. London: ACA Publishing, 2019. ISBN 9781910760338.
  • Mai Jia, The Message. London: Head of Zeus, 2020. ISBN 978-1789543018.
  • Feng Jicai, Faces in the Crowd: 36 Extraordinary Tales of Tianjin. London: Sinoist Books, 2020. ISBN 978-1910760482.
  • Feng Jicai, A Looking-Glass World. London: Sinoist Books, 2021. ISBN 978-1838905149
  • Fang Fang, The Walls of Wuchang. London: Sinoist Books 2022. ISBN 9781838905118[11]
  • Feng Menglong, Kingdoms in Peril: A Novel of the Ancient Chinese World at War. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2022. ISBN 9780520380516.[12]
  • Feng Menglong, Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 1, The Curse of the Bao Lords. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381001 [13]
  • Feng Menglong, Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 2, The Exile Returns. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381032. [14]
  • Feng Menglong, Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 3, The Death of a Southern Hero. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381070. [15]
  • Feng Menglong, Kingdoms in Peril: Volume 4, The Assassins Strike. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2023. ISBN 9780520381100. [16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Olivia Milburn | School of Chinese, HKU". The University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  2. ^ a b Kim, Boram (October 17, 2008). "Professor Olivia Milburn: At Home in the World". Seoul National University.
  3. ^ a b Mei, Jia (22 August 2018). "China recognizes 15 in prestigious book awards". China Daily.
  4. ^ a b Reviews of Cherishing Antiquity:
  5. ^ a b Reviews of Urbanization in Early and Medieval China:
  6. ^ a b Reviews of The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan:
  7. ^ Davis, Chris (11 June 2014). "Unlocking China's literary gems through translation". China Daily.
  8. ^ "Chinese bestsellers take on the world". The Telegraph. 4 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Book review: "Decoded" by Mai Jia (Trs by Olivia Milburn and Christopher Payne)". The Independent. 26 January 2014.
  10. ^ Reviews of The Glory of Yue:
  11. ^ Fang, Fang (2022-11-18). "The Walls of Wuchang". Sinoist Books. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  12. ^ Chaffetz, David (2022-03-14). "Two New Translations of Feng Menglong's Classic "Chronicles"". Asian Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  13. ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 1: The Curse of the Bao Lords. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38100-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 2: The Exile Returns. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38103-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 3: The Death of a Southern Hero. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38107-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  16. ^ Menglong, Feng (2023-10-31). Kingdoms in Peril, Volume 4: The Assassins Strike. Translated by Milburn, Olivia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38110-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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