Chang Yu (Sanyu)(1901-1966) Les Poemes De T'ao Ts'ien (Poems by Tao Qian) Illustration of three copper plate prints limited edition number 17/290; total editions 306 including special editions published by Éditions Lemarget in 1930 prints each : 19 x 15 cm (7 1/2 x 6 in) book: 33 x 25.5 cm (13 x 10 in) NOTE Translated by Liang Tsong Tai and preface written by Paul Valéry, Liang's signature on the front page as follow:
Les Poemes De T'aoTs'ien was published in the 1930s in France. It has become widely sought-after by Chinese art connoisseurs after many years because of the illustration by Sanyu. This is the first one with signatures among those offered in the market. From the lines we see that Liang Wandai, the translator of the poem, presented the book as a gift to Jean Prévost, who had written a review for the poem. This book was transferred to a medical doctor and his wife later on. The book seems to bring us back to Belle Époque through the time tunnel, to witness the interaction of these literati. We might not know how this book was brought to Asia from the medical doctor, but this book has been possessed by many owners in the past 80 years. In autumn 2012, it is waiting for its new owner.
Note 1: Liang Tsong Tai (1903-1983) Born in Hsinhui, Guangdong, he is a Chinese modern poet, translator and literature critic. His translation of Shakespeare’s Sonnets is praised the best among the rest by Yu Kwang-chung. Liang studied in France in the 1920s and 1930s. He made friends with many household names in the world of European literature such as Paul Valéry and Romain Rolland. Liang translated the poems of these masters and published them in Novel Monthly, introducing the works by these French poets to Chinese readers. He has taught in Department of Foreign Language and Literature at Fudan University, Foreign Language, Department of Literature at Sun Yat-Sen University and Guangzhou Foreign Language College in the 1970s. He is the writer of many poems and literature critics.
Note 2: Jean Prévost (1901-1944) He is a French writer, reporter and one of the anti-Nazi fighters during WWII. When Les Poemes De T'aoTs'ienq was published in 1930s, Jean Prévost wrote a review and published it on La Nouvelle Revue Française, a French literature magazine, on January 7th, 1931.
Note 3: Raymond Leibovici (1901 – unknown) He is a medical doctor. He was an author of studies on surgical diseases.