This is my second time reading this book.
The first time, more than 20 years, in the tiny, quiet, and old library room of my high school. 张谷若 made a wonderful translation, and some scenes have been in my mind ever since: the night, under the stars, Tess and her little brother chatting about the stars -- that is the night misfortune starts; the morning in the dairy house, foggy.
When I started reading the book in its original language, the Chinese translation kept bothering me. 张谷若 had strongly imposed his own style in the translation -- his translation is of strong flavor and emotion, but Hardy's original style is cool, even cold and "indifferent". So the images remained from 20 years ago did not fit well into what I was reading from Hardy's words. Until I finished 1/4 part (the end of the third phase), Hardy's voice was the only one I heard , and images arose clearly out of the book.
I asked Jia whether the Chinese translation was a success or failure. He asked: If you just read the Chinese translation, do you think it good? I said Yes. He said: Then it is a good one.
Modern Library edition, 1998. ISBN 0679603182.
I can't find the cover picture of the book online. So I put here the painting that the book cover uses. At first I did not like the cover picture because Nastassja Kinski's Tess is what Tess is, to me. But when I finished the book, I think it fit Hardy's Tess well. The library does not have everyman's edition, which is what I prefer. I have 3 editions in my personal collection: everyman's library, Frankline library, Heron book, but they are all packed in my moving boxes.
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