(File photo: Global Times)
Goran Malmqvist, a renowned sinologist and academician of the Swedish Academy and one of the 18 lifetime judges of the Nobel Prize for literature, died on October 17 at the age of 95, Swedish media reported.
Malmqvist studied ancient Chinese and Chinese phonology with the famous Swedish Sinologist Gao Benhan, and was the only jury member of the Nobel Prize for Literature who was proficient in Chinese. He translated classical Chinese works such as Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh and Xin Qiji Ci, as well as contemporary Chinese works such as Lu Xun and Shen Congwen, seeking to improve the international image of Chinese literature.
The news of Malmqvist's death was confirmed by his wife Chen Wenfen who said he died peacefully at home on October 17. She said Malmqvist was very satisfied with the two Nobel Prize winners announced this year. He saw the news on TV.
As one of the leading figures in contemporary Western Sinology, Malmqvist not only made outstanding achievements in literary translation and academic research, but also played an important role in cultural exchanges between China and Switzerland.
(Compiled by Zhu Yurou)
