Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel

Rating:
Summary: Lost in Translation
Review: The Three Kingdoms have been, since its creation, the staple of literature in the Orient. It has been translated into Korean, Japanese, and numerous other languages and has been read by scholars, historians, and military strategists everywhere in Northern Asia. However, as anyone who has already read the Three Kingdoms in any of the North Eastern Asian languages will promise, the English version unfortunately does not capture the essence in which the "Odyssey" of China rose to its widespread fame and ubiquity. It lacks the characterstics that demand to stand as one of the greatest historical and legendary pieces in existence today. That is why it is literature, not simply history. The artistic hand of Luo Guanzhong is almost wiped off and a bland history with awkward word choice is left that leaves little to imagination and wonder.

For people who are interested in the epics of Chinese literature, to gain a simple understanding of the events and perhaps some of the strategies, the book can be recommended. However, to truly appreciate the epic that has created sayings that if you read the story three times, you can be deemed a scholar, the translation simply lacks too much.

It is unfortunately, another case of great literature unable to be shared since it was lost in translation.