Returning to literature

While 3,000 Chinese are studying Russian literature, and more than 20 publishing houses are presenting 100 titles of new translations into Chinese, people feel that the enthusiasm for Russian literature is ebbing, Liu said.

But Russian literature researcher Liu argued that the apparent decline in interest is actually a return to normal.

"We see Russian literature is developing, in a sense that it appeals to no national political propaganda, nor appeals to Western taste," Liu said.

With that, the Chinese view Russian literature with a less ideological bent and more on its aesthetic value, he added.

Editor Zhang, who published several works of Russia's younger writers, hopes to see more concern for national fate in Chinese young writers, as the Russians do.

The enduring charm of Russian literature on Chinese minds is the reason that many Chinese lamented Boris Vasilyev's death in mid-March.

Chinese publishers are planning this year to print more of the writer's The Dawns Here Are Quiet.

Chen Jianhua with East China Normal University, and Zhang Xiaoqiang with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences contributed to this story.

meijia@chinadaily.com.cn