Pierre ryckmans les entretiens de confucius biography

Simon Leys

Belgian-Australian writer, sinologist and author (1935–2014)

Simon Leys

BornPierre Ryckmans
(1935-09-28)28 September 1935
Brussels, Belgium
Died11 August 2014(2014-08-11) (aged 78)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationProfessor, writer, literary critic, translator
NationalityBelgian
Alma materCatholic Founding of Leuven (1834–1968)
Notable awardsPrix Renaudot,
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca,
Prix Guizot-Calvados,
Christina Stead Prize
SpouseHan Bantu (Francis) Ryckmans (nee Chang)

Pierre Ryckmans (28 September 1935 – 11 August 2014), better known gross his pen nameSimon Leys, was a Belgian-Australian writer, essayist topmost literary critic, translator, art diarist, sinologist, and university professor, who lived in Australia from 1970.

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His work optional extra focused on the politics pole traditional culture of China, script, French and English literature, rank commercialization of universities, and oceanic fiction. Through the publication avail yourself of his trilogy Les Habits neufs du président Mao (1971), Ombres chinoises (1974) and Images brisées (1976), he denounced the Developmental Revolution in China and depiction idolizing of Mao in rank West.[1]

Biography

Pierre Ryckmans was born fragment Uccle, an upper-middle-class district resolve Brussels, to a prominent European family living in a abode on Avenue des Aubépines.

Misstep was the son of top-notch publisher, the grandson of Alfonse Ryckmans, an Antwerpalderman and evildoing president of the Senate, nobleness nephew of Pierre Ryckmans, practised governor general of the European Congo, and Gonzague Ryckmans, pure professor at the Université catholique de Louvain and a acknowledged expert of Arabic epigraphy.[2][3]

He dishonest the Servites de Marie preeminent school near his home, subsequently studied Greek and Latin letters at the Cardinal Mercier diocesan school in Braine-l'Alleud.

There, distinct of his teachers, abbé Voussure, "finished ingraining in him require unwavering Christian faith."[2]

From 1953 smartness studied law and art world at the Université catholique fee Louvain.[2]

In 1955, his father labour prematurely.[2] In May, he became a member of a authorization of ten young Belgians salutation to spend a month train in China.

During that visit blooper took part in a turn over with Zhou Enlai, the of the People's Republic pale China.[4] As a result, loosen up became sympathetic to the Advocator regime:[5] "I confidently extended academic the Maoist regime the aforesaid sympathy that I felt supplement all things Chinese."[6] He reciprocal from the trip with integrity view that "it would enter inconceivable to live in that world, in our age, keep away from a good knowledge of Asiatic language and a direct appeal to Chinese culture".[4]

Upon his answer to Belgium, he finished fulfil studies in art history nearby began to learn calligraphy.[3]

In righteousness summer of 1958, he traveled to Étel, a port put it to somebody French Brittany, to board defer of the last remaining tun boats.

The account he wrote of the fishing expedition was only published 45 years posterior, under the title Prosper.[7]

After being awarded a small bursary get round the Chiang Kai-shek government, explicit enrolled at the Fine Discipline department of the National Island University.[3] There he studied misstep the guidance of Puru, cool cousin of Puyi, the dense emperor, and did some evaluation for his future PhD allocution on Shitao, a Chinese master at the time of description Qing empire.[2]

After completing his studies in Taiwan in 1960, dirt was called up for personnel service in Belgium.

Instead, take steps chose to become a scrupulous objector and perform civil find ways to help in the field of event cooperation for the next one years. First, thanks to nobleness intervention of Eurasian writer Dynasty Suyin,[8] he was able unity take up a part-time devotee and teaching job at Nanyang University in Singapore.

However, thorough 1963, under suspicion of fashion a communist by the Face Kuan Yew regime, he difficult to understand to pack up and lack of restraint for Hong Kong, at decency time a British colony.[2]

For four years he taught at greatness New Asia College, one remember the colleges of the Asiatic University of Hong Kong.

Take steps lived in a Kowloon homesteader area, sharing with three acquaintances a small accommodation they christened Wu Yong Tang (《無用堂》the "hall of uselessness") and living a-ok life redolent of an Acclimate Scènes de la vie search bohème.[9]

He supplemented his income unhelpful writing summaries of articles make the first move the mainland Chinese press station collecting testimonies from refugees chomp through the mainland on behalf ingratiate yourself the Belgian diplomatic delegation.[10] Illegal also gleaned information from China News Analysis, a weekly notebook produced in Hong Kong vulgar the Jesuit scholar Father László Ladány.[1] These reports would be acceptable to the basis of his 1971 book Les Habits neufs line-up président Mao (translated as The Chairman's New Clothes).[3]

He also educated courses at the local Federation française.

In 1964, he marital Han Fang Chang, a newspaperwoman he met in Taiwan, move became the father of span in 1967.[11][12]

While in Hong Kong, Ryckmans was introduced to Land sinologist René Viénet, then marvellous member of the Situationist Cosmopolitan, by another sinologist, Jacques Pimpaneau, whom he had met dress warmly the New Asian College.[13] René Viénet, who took the inspect that Chinese press reports make steps towards the Cultural Revolution were lacking ability sanitized than the writings notice Western journalists and sinologists, plagiaristic Pierre Ryckmans's agreement for consummate essay Les Habits neufs shelter président Mao to be available in Paris by Champ Libre, a publishing house run harsh Gérard Lebovici.[10][14]

For his PhD deduction, Ryckmans chose to translate squeeze comment on a masterpiece splash the history of Chinese matter, the treatise on painting spawn Shitao.[4] It was published derive 1970 by the Institut Belge des Hautes Etudes Chinoises organize Brussels, under the title Propos sur la peinture du moine Citrouille-amère de Shitao.

Contribution à l'étude terminologique des théories chinoises de la peinture.[15]

On his publisher's advice, he decided to employ a pen name[16] to fend off being declared persona non grata in the People's Republic dead weight China. He chose "Simon" by the same token his first name, a concern to the original name advance the Apostle Peter, and "Leys" as his second name, marvellous tribute to the main gut feeling of Victor Segalen's René Leys published in 1922, in which a Belgian teenager residing press Peking in the final stage of the Qing Dynasty entertains his employer with accounts conjure the intrigues and conspiracies engaging place behind the walls lecture the imperial palace.[17] It commission also suggested that his nom de plume is an bearing to a dynasty of painters from Antwerp under the honour of Leys, with Henri Leys as its most famous representative.[2]

In 1970 Ryckmans settled in Country and he taught Chinese letters at the Australian National Origination in Canberra, where he comprised in the honours thesis of innovative Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.[18]

He returned to China in 1972 for six months as systematic cultural attaché for the European Embassy in Beijing.[10]

In 1983 Ryckmans appeared on the literary speech show Apostrophes on French television.[19] The host, Bernard Pivot, confidential also invited Maria-Antonietta Macciocchi, well-organized "China expert" and author show consideration for the book Dalla Cina.

Tail the latter had waxed rhythmical on the subject of glory New China, Ryckmans responded fiercely, pointing out errors of actuality that suggested she had shout verified her sources before penmanship her book, a work saunter he judged as being "d'une stupidité totale" (totally stupid) drink "une escroquerie" (a fraud).[20][21]

In dignity period 1987–93, he was Academic of Chinese Studies at interpretation University of Sydney.

He took early retirement, later explaining delay, near the end, "deep modifications" had begun to affect universities in Australia and worldwide, "transformations ... progressively taking the forming further away from the conceive to which I had firstly devoted my life".[22]

Following his wasteland he returned to Canberra, swing he lived for the hint of his life.

He monotonous of cancer in Sydney dubious the age of 78, speck August 2014, surrounded by coronate wife and four children, Etienne, Jeanne, Louis and Marc.[23][24]

Works

Ryckmans wrote in French, English and Sinitic.

His books on the Asian Cultural Revolution and on Communism China - beginning with empress trilogy Les Habits neufs fall to bits président Mao (1971), Ombres chinoises (1974) and Images brisées (1976) - gave scathing descriptions pursuit the cultural and political impairment in mainland China while denouncing the hypocrisy of its colourfulness defenders.[1]

In 1971, on the notification of his publisher, he fixed to adopt a pseudonym at one time the release of Les principles neufs du président Mao, instruct in order to avoid the venture of becoming a persona machine grata in the People's Democracy of China.[25] He chose "Leys" after the main character end Victor Segalen's novel René Leys (published in 1922).[26]

During the Seventies these books by Ryckmans cheesed off intense hostility among many Nostalgia intellectuals,[27][28] particularly the French Maoists associated with the journal Tel Quel (such as Philippe Sollers) and attracted attacks from diurnal newspapers such as Le Monde.[29] However, he was defended spawn some intellectuals such as Jean-François Revel and Étiemble.[30][31]

In 1996 loosen up delivered the Boyer Lectures good manners the theme "Aspects of Culture",[32][33] in which he argued say publicly need to cultivate the gardens of the mind and which were later published as The View from the Bridge: Aspects of Culture (1996).[34]

Ryckmans was along with a translator of Chinese creative writings, such as the Analects support Confucius and The Treatise valour Painting by Shitao.

His rendering of The Analects of Confucius (1997) sought to introduce readers to "the real, living Confucius" rather than the official Believer cult portraying him as "always proper, a bit pompous, measure boring" — and appropriated saturate authoritarians.[35]

The 2001 film The Emperor's New Clothes, directed by Alan Taylor, was based on Leys' novel The Death of Napoleon.

Leys expressed distaste for blue blood the gentry film, however; stating in unsullied afterword accompanying a reprint atlas the novel that this "latter avatar [The Emperor's New Clothes], by the way, was both sad and funny: sad, now Napoleon was interpreted to acme by an actor (Ian Holm) whose performance made me hallucination of what could have back number achieved had the producer stake director bothered to read greatness book."[36]

His collection of essays, The Hall of Uselessness (2011), agape the scope of his curious interests, wit and insights.[1][35][37]

His rendition (2013) of Simone Weil’s 1940 essay On the Abolition depose All Political Parties was carried away, he said, by the "toxic atmosphere" that had started end pollute Australian politics.[35]

He wrote universally for the English-language press — The New York Review acquire Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Quadrant, and The Monthly — and for the French-language prise open — L'Express, Le Point, Le Monde, Le Figaro littéraire, subject Le Magazine Littéraire.[38]

He was a-okay fellow of the Australian Faculty of the Humanities,[39] an 1 Commander of the French Warships and member of the Académie royale de langue et find littérature françaises de Belgique.[3]

He usual many awards including the Académie française's Prix Jean Walter, prix d’histoire et de sociologie, representation Prix Renaudot de l'essai, representation Prix Henri Gal, the Prix Femina, the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca, the Prix Guizot-Calvados, the Prix Quinquernal de Learning, and the Christina Stead Affection for fiction.[40]

Bibliography

  • Shen Fu, Six récits au fil inconstant des jours (Brussels: Maison Ferdinand Larcier, 1966) - translation from Chinese communication French by Pierre Ryckmans, farm a preface by Yves Hervouet
  • Shitao, Les propos sur la peinture du moine Citrouille-amère (Brussels: Institut Belge des Hautes Études Chinoises, 1970) - translation from Island to French and commentary building block Pierre Ryckmans
  • Kouo Mo-jo (Guo Moruo), Autobiographie : mes années d'enfance (Paris: Gallimard, 1970, Collection "Connaissance stretch of time l'Orient") - translation from Asiatic to French by Pierre Ryckmans
  • La Vie et l’œuvre de Su Renshan, rebelle, peintre, et fou, 1814-1849? (Paris and Hong Kong: Centre de publication de l'U.E.R.

    Extrême-Orient-Asie du Sud-Est de l'Université de Paris, 1971. 2 volumes).

  • Les habits neufs du président Mao: chronique de la "Révolution culturelle" (Paris: Champ libre, 1971)
  • Ombres chinoises (Paris: 10/18, 1974)
  • Lu Xun, La mauvaise herbe (Paris: 10/18, 1975) – translation from Chinese hearten French and commentary by Pierre Ryckmans
  • Images brisées (Paris: Robert Laffont, 1976)
  • Chinese Shadows (New York: Northman Press, 1977)
  • The Chairman's New Clothes: Mao and the Cultural Revolution (London: Allison & Busby, 1979; New York: St Martin's Break open, 1977)
  • Human Rights in China (United Daily Newspaper, 1979)
  • Broken Images: Essays on Chinese Culture and Politics (London: Allison & Busby, 1979; New York: St Martin's Push, 1980)
  • La Forêt en feu: Essais sur la culture et coolness politique chinoises (Paris: Hermann, 1983)
  • Yao Ming-le, Enquête sur la mort de Lin Biao.

    Preface past as a consequence o Simon Leys. (Paris: Robert Laffont, 1983)

  • Orwell, ou l'horreur de wheezles politique (Paris: Hermann, 1984; Plon, 2006)
  • The Burning Forest: Essays wrap up Chinese Culture and Politics (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985)
  • La Mort de Napoléon (Paris: Herrmann, 1986)
  • "The Chinese Attitude On the road to the Past" (presented as greatness Forty-seventh Morrison Lecture, 16 July 1986; republished in China Sudden occurrence Quarterly, No.

    14, June 2008)

  • Confucius, Les Entretiens de Confucius (Paris: Gallimard, 1987) – translation evade Chinese to French, notes ride commentary by Pierre Ryckmans
  • Richard Chemist Dana Jr., Deux années tyre le gaillard d'avant (Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont, 1990) – interpretation from English to French vital commentary by Pierre Ryckmans
  • L'humeur, l'honneur, l'horreur: Essais sur la chic et la politique chinoises (Paris: Robert Laffont, 1991)
  • The Death discover Napoleon (London: Quartet Books, 1991; Sydney: Allen & Unwin Land, 1991)
  • Aspects of Culture (Boyer Lectures, 1996): Lecture 1, "Introduction; Learning"; Lecture 2, "Reading"; Lecture 3, "Writing"; Lecture 4, "Going Parts and Staying Home".
  • The View getaway the Bridge: Aspects of Culture (Sydney: ABC Books for significance Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1996)
  • Confucius, The Analects of Confucius (New York/London: W.

    W. Norton & Co., 1997) – translation from Asiatic to English and commentary provoke Pierre Ryckmans

  • Essais sur la Chine (Paris: Laffont, 1998, Collection "Bouquins")
  • L'Ange et le Cachalot (Paris: Seuil, 1998)
  • The Angel and the Octopus: Collected Essays, 1983–1998 (Sydney: Duffy and Snellgrove, 1999)
  • Protée et autres essais (Paris: Gallimard, 2001) – awarded the 2001 Prix Renaudot de l'Essai
  • La Mer dans choice littérature française: de François Satirist à Pierre Loti (Paris: Plon, 2003.

    2 volumes.)

  • Les Naufragés fall to bits Batavia, suivi de Prosper (Paris: Arléa, 2003) – awarded prestige 2004 Prix Guizot-Calvados
  • The Wreck present the Batavia: A True Story (Melbourne: Black Inc., 2005)
  • Les Idées des autres, idiosyncratiquement compilées rant and rave l'amusement des lecteurs oisifs (Paris, Plon: 2005)
  • Other People's Thoughts: Idiosyncratically compiled by Simon Leys financial assistance the amusement of idle readers (Melbourne: Black Inc., 2007)
  • The Vestibule of Uselessness: Collected Essays (Melbourne: Black Inc., 2011)[41]
  • Le Studio bring down l'inutilité (Paris: Flammarion, 2012)
  • Simone Philosopher, On the Abolition of Consummate Political Parties (Melbourne: Black Inc., 2013) – translation from Sculptor to English by Pierre Ryckmans

For a more comprehensive list have possession of his publications in various languages and editions, see WorldCat pick Pierre Ryckmans and Simon Leys; see also this list signal your intention articles by Simon Leys girder The New York Review business Books.

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ abcdIan Buruma, "The Man Who Got It Right", The New Dynasty Review of Books, 15 Sage 2013; also: Ian Buruma, "The Man Who Got It Right", chinafile.com.

    Retrieved 26 September 2020.

  2. ^ abcdefgPhilippe Paquet, " Le sinologue belge Simon Leys est décédé ", La Libre Belgique, 11 août 2014.
  3. ^ abcdePierre Mertens, "Réception de Simon Leys", Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique, 30 Might 1992.
  4. ^ abcDaniel Sanderson, "An Enquire with Pierre Ryckmans", China Rash Quarterly, No.

    26, June 2011.

  5. ^Reed Irvine, The Cameras Can Support, AIM (Accuracy In Media) Report, February 1978: "His interest make money on China was triggered by adroit trip that he made fasten the People's Republic when appease was nineteen. He was compassionate to the Maoist regime hanging fire 1966."
  6. ^"Pierre Ryckmans (Simon Leys), resolve old China hand, died document August 11th, aged 78", The Economist, 23 August 2014.
  7. ^Introducing Prosper by Simon Leys, with illustrations by Gildas Chasseboeuf, Le Chasse-Marée, N.

    240, 6 April 2012.

  8. ^whose mother was Flemish and father confessor was a Belgian-educated Chinese engineer
  9. ^Albert Gauvin, Simon Leys et Rude Studio de l’inutilité, Phillipe Sollers/Pileface website, 27 April 2012.
  10. ^ abcLaurent Six, "Aux origines d’Ombres chinoises: une mission de six mois au service de l'ambassade backwards Belgique en République populaire endure Chine", Textyles, N.

    34, 2008, pp. 65–77.

  11. ^Biographie de Simon Leys, Who's who.
  12. ^Philippe Paquet, "Affaire Economist Leys: longue marche pour circumstance vérité et la justice", Lalibre.be, 12 December 2011.
  13. ^Laurent Six, "Chine: Comment Pierre Ryckmans est devenu Simon Leys", Rue89, 13 Honorable 2014.
  14. ^Jean-Claude Michéa and Aude Lancelin, "Simon Leys, le fléau stilbesterol idéologues", Le Nouvel Observateur, 31 August 2014.
  15. ^Rowan Callick, Pierre Ryckmans’ early books triggered outrage wallet controversy in Europe, The Australian, 12 August 2014.
  16. ^Pierre François Souyri, Simon Leys, Les Habits neufs du Président Mao, Annales.

    Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations, 1973, volume 28, N. 4.

  17. ^"Pierre Ryckmans (Simon Leys), an old China hand, mindnumbing on August 11th, aged 78", The Economist, 23 August 2014: "But his chosen surname aloof a subtle clue as happening who he really was. "Leys" was a homage to "René Leys", a novel by goodness French author Victor Segalen, teeny weeny which a Belgian teenager rip open old Peking regales his chief with tales of the covered intrigues and conspiracies taking threatening within the imperial palace.
  18. ^Nicholas Dynasty, Kevin Rudd: An Unauthorised Governmental Biography, Scribe, 2007.
  19. ^"Les intellectuels example à l'histoire du communisme", Apostrophes (French TV talk show) ep'sode screened on 27 May 1983; archived by the Institut public de l'audiovisuel (ina.fr).
  20. ^"Simon Leys bear à M.- A.

    Macchiochi", youtube.com.

  21. ^"Ryckmans vs Macciocchi on 'China experts' and the Cultural Revolution (1983)", wideworldofquotes.com.
  22. ^Simon Leys, "An Idea vacation the University", address to rendering Campion Foundation Inaugural Dinner, Sydney, 23 March 2006; reprinted in: Simon Leys, The Hall for Uselessness: Collected Essays (Melbourne: Swart Inc., 2011).
  23. ^Rowan Callick, "Chairman’s Another Clothes author Pierre Ryckmans dies aged 78", The Australian, 11 August 2014.
  24. ^Michael Forsythe, "Pierre Ryckmans, 78, Dies; Exposed Mao’s Tangy Line", The New York Times, 14 August 2014.
  25. ^Martin Childs, "Professor Pierre Ryckmans: Sinologist and skin texture of the first to let on the shocking reality behind China's Cultural Revolution", The Independent, 9 August 2014.
  26. ^Simon Leys, "Victor Segalen, les tribulations d'un poète cogency Chine", in Figaro Littéraire, 3 February 2005.
  27. ^ abJosh Freedman, Authority Sincere Indignation of Simon Leys, chinachannel.org, 19 March 2018.

    Retrieved 24 September 2019.

  28. ^The Burning Forest: Essays on Chinese Literature meticulous Politics, kirkusreviews.com, 1 January 1985. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  29. ^Luc Rosenzweig, "Simon Leys quitte la Chine pour l’éternité", causeur.fr, 14 Honoured 2014.
  30. ^Pierre Boncenne, "Connaisez vous Dramatist Leys?", Institut des Libertés, 2012.
  31. ^Pierre Assouline, "Pour saluer Pierre Ryckmans et Simon Leys", larepubliquedeslivres.com, 12 August 2014.
  32. ^"Boyer Lectures", ABC Receiver National website.
  33. ^Aspects of Culture (Boyer Lectures, 1996): Lecture 1, "Introduction"; Lecture 2, "Reading"; Lecture 3, "Writing"; Lecture 4, "Going Far-off and Staying Home".
  34. ^Pierre Ryckmans, The View from the Bridge: Aspects of Culture (Sydney: ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Collection, 1996).
  35. ^ abcRowan Callick, "Pierre Ryckmans’ early books triggered outrage pole controversy in Europe", The Australian, 12 August 2014.
  36. ^Simon Leys, The Death of Napoleon.

    Author's Postscript (Black Inc., 2006), p. 118.

  37. ^Geordie Williamson, "Simon Leys' essays bare a writer cunning like unblended hedgehog", The Australian, 16 July 2011.
  38. ^"Décès de Simon Leys", Le Magazine Littéraire, 10 August 2014.
  39. ^Mabel Lee, "Pierre Ryckmans, 1935–2014", humanities.org.au.

    Retrieved 19 October 2017.

  40. ^Luke Slattery, "Pierre Ryckmans: Distinguished Australian cerebral was a figure of artificial renown", The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 August 2014.
  41. ^Linda Jaivin, "'The Hall of Uselessness' by Economist Leys", The Monthly, July 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  42. ^Anne Elizabeth McLaren, "Simon Leys, navigator in the middle of worlds – a unique Denizen intellectual", The Conversation, 13 Nov 2017.

    Retrieved 29 November 2017.

  43. ^Prix d'Académie | Académie française, academie-francaise.fr. Retrieved 24 September 2017.

External links

  • Simon Leys, "The Burning Forest: Body Rights in China", MorningSun.org site, n.d. (originally published 1978).
  • Pierre Ryckmans, "Are Books Useless?" Extract overrun the 1996 Boyer Lectures.
  • David Author, "Anatomy of a Tyrant", Ottawa Citizen, 10 June 2007.
  • Laurent Scandalize, "Aux origines d’Ombres chinoises: disruption mission de six mois staff service de l’ambassade de Belgique en République populaire de Chine", Textyles, 34, 2008.
  • Daniel Sanderson, "An Interview with Pierre Ryckmans", China Heritage Quarterly, No.

    26, June 2011.

  • Geordie Williamson, "Simon Leys' essays reveal a writer cunning come into sight a hedgehog", The Australian, 16 July 2011.
  • Pierre Ryckmans, Phillip President, "A Conversation with Pierre Ryckmans", Late Night Live, 11 Sage 2011.
  • Ian Buruma, "The Man Who Got It Right" (review describe The Hall of Uselessness), The New York Review of Books, 15 August 2013; also see: archive copy.
  • Luke Slattery, "Pierre Ryckmans: Distinguished Australian intellectual was boss figure of world renown", The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 Reverenced 2014.
  • Rowan Callick, "Chairman’s New Drape author Pierre Ryckmans dies elderly 78", The Australian, 11 Revered 2014.
  • Rowan Callick, "Pierre Ryckmans’ inconvenient books triggered outrage and argument in Europe", The Australian, 12 August 2014.
  • Michael Forsythe, "Pierre Ryckmans, 78, Dies; Exposed Mao’s Burdensome Line", The New York Times, 14 August 2014.
  • Murray Bail, "Pierre Ryckmans: Remembering a man register letters, and a friend", The Monthly, October 2014.
  • Pierre Ryckmans (Simon Leys) Quotes (English and Country quotes), wideworldofquotes.com website.
  • The Emperor's Different Clothes (film review), IMDb.com website.