Dr. Lee Kuei Shien Baluarte del Vallejismo
César Vallejo se conoce en Taiwán gracias al Dr. Lee Kuei-shien.
En el 2003 el Dr. Lee Kuei-shien tuvo la oportunidad de editar una serie de libros de poesía, en un total de 25 volúmenes para presentar a 50 poetas representativos del mundo, incluyó a Vallejo en el volumen 13 de esta serie. También ha traducido 28 de sus poemas al mandarín de la traducción en inglés de Robert Bly, que incluye: 'Los heraldos negros", "La araña", "Romería", "Deshojación sagrada" "La copa negra"; así como los poemas de Trice, 111, XV, XIV, entre otros.
El poeta Lee Kuel-shien es uno de los principales poeas de Taiwán y uno de los primeros
poetas que tradujo y dio a conocer los poemas de César Vallejo al pueblo
Taiwanés.
"LEE KUFI-SHIEN. Nacido en Taiwán en 1937. Ha sido nominado tres veces como candidato al Premío Nobel de Literatura, por la Academia de Poetas Internacionales y Grupo de Poesía, en 2001, 2003 y 2006, respectivamente. Sus poemas han sido traducidos y publicados en Brasíl, Bangladesh, Canadá, Chile, Cuba, España, Grecía, India, Japón, Corea, Macedonía, Mongolia, Nueva Zelanda, Los Países Bajos, Rumanía, Rusía, USA y lugoslavia Su obra publicada incluye "Poemas compilados" en seis volúmenes (2001), "Ensayos compilados" en diez volúmenes (2002), «Poemas traducidos" en ocho vohimenes (2003), "Antología de poesía europea" en 25 volúmenes, (2001-2005), "Serie de poesía selecta" en 25 volúmenes (2010-2016). Ha recibido multitud de galardones, entre otros: el Premio Literario Naim Frashèri, Macedonia (2016); el Premío Corea de Líteratura,(2013); el Premio Oxford para Escritores Taiwaneses (2011); la Medalla de Oro Chinggis
Khaan, (2006); el Premio Poeta del Milenio, India (2006)."
Interview:
MG: What does César Vallejo represent to you?
LKS: For me, César Vallejo represents one of the literature giants from Latin America, including Ruben Dario, Gabriela Mistral, Jorge Luis Borges, Nicolás Guillén, Pablo Neruda and others.
MG: When did your interest in Vallejo begin and what was the trigger that led you to read, translate or investigate the work of the universal poet, César Vallejo?
LKS: When I started to read poems at my youth age in 1950s, no matter the poems written by eastern or western poets, all attracted me. At that time and thereafter I have been fond of reading Mandarin translations of foreign poems, but it is hard to find the Mandarin translated poems of Latin American poets, so that I tried to find the English translations and I indulged into Latin American poetry, mostly the poems of César Vallejo and others.
MG: In your opinion, why is César Vallejo a universal poet?
LKS: César Vallejo’s poems speak the voices from suffered people and lower level class, emphasizing love the living land and social concern, to represent human value and mass souls. His poetry discloses popular phenomena happened worldwide at his living age even until nowadays so that he became the spokesman for most of the global people, and naturally as a universal poet.
MG: If you had to choose a Vallejo book, which one would you choose and why?
LKS: I will choose "The Black Heralds” for its various styles and representations that the reader are easy to enter the poetic world of César Vallejo and to understand his panorama.
MG: Much of Vallejo's work is in Mandarin thanks to you who made this translation. What
works by Vallejo have been translated into Mandarin? What difficulties did you face in doing so? And what has been your greatest satisfaction from this great project?
LKS: As a matter of fact, I only translated 28 poems of César Vallejo, selecting from his poetry books “The Black Heralds”, “Trilce” and “Human Poems”, trying to induce the interesting from Taiwanese reader for further to read more English translation or even better to read Spanish originals. My difficult is I am unable to translate César Vallejo’s poems directly from Spanish originals, but I am satisfied to remind Taiwanese reader interesting to notice César Vallejo’s poems.
MG: It is said that where people talk and work extensively on César Vallejo, extraordinary
things happen, as if the man were present. Have you had any experience of this nature during the translation phase of Vallejo's work into Mandarin?
LKS: Yes, when I was translating, I frequently imaged as a substitute of the poet himself so that I was writing the poems instead of the poet. That is very interesting!
MG: What is the importance or reception that Vallejo has in Taiwan, in schools, universities, etc.
LKS: As I know César Vallejo’s poems are interested by poetry loving reader either in schools or in society of Taiwan.
MG: Thank you very much Dr. Kuei-shien-Lee and I once again reiterate my admiration and gratitude for spreading Vallejo's work worldwide.
LKS: Thank you for your kind interview. I hope to translate more César Vallejo’s poems in
good occasion.