René Sieffert (4 August 1923 – 13 February 2004) was a French

japanologist Japanese studies (Japanese: ) or Japan studies (sometimes Japanology in Europe), is a sub-field of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on Japan. It incorporates fields such as the study of Japanese ...

, professor at the

Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales ( en, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French university specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. ...

(INALCO). René Sieffert translated many works and helped bring

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

to French-speaking readers. Also, in 1971, when he was president of INALCO, he created with his wife Simone, the university press (POF).

Bibliography

Works

Main publications: * ''La Littérature japonaise'' * ''Les Religions du Japon'', * ''Treize siècles de lettres japonaises'' (2 vol.), * ''Le Japon et la France : images d'une découverte'', * ''Théâtre classique'',

Translations

Some major translations: * ''Le Dit de Hôgen ( Hōgen Monogatari, Le Dit de Heiji'' (

Heiji Monogatari is a Japanese war epic (''gunki monogatari'') detailing the events of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159–1160, in which samurai clan head Minamoto no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession dispute, in which he was op ...

), (Publications orientalistes de France, series "". *1997: , Publications orientalistes de France, series "Le Cycle Épique des Taïra et des Minamoto" - *1988: de dame

Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She is best known as the author of '' The Tale of Genji,'' widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between abou ...

- * ''Les Belles Endormies'' (''

The House of the Sleeping Beauties ''House of the Sleeping Beauties'' is a 1961 novella by the Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. It is a story about a lonely man, Old Eguchi, who continuously visits the House of the Sleeping Beauties in hope of something more. Plot The titular ...

'') by

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal an ...

*1977: ''Éloge de l'ombre'' (''

In Praise of Shadows is an essay on Japanese aesthetics by the Japanese author and novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. It was translated into English by the academic students of Japanese literature Thomas Harper and Edward Seidensticker. A new translation by Gregory S ...

'') by Tanizaki Jun'ichirô, Publications orientalistes de France *1986: ''Contes d'Uji'', Publications orientalistes de France, series "Les œuvres capitales de la littérature japonaise" *1979: , followed by , Publications orientalistes de France *1993: , Publications orientalistes de France, series "Tama" *1997: ''Le Journal de Tosa'' (土佐日記, ''

Tosa nikki The ''Tosa Nikki'' (''Tosa Diary'' 土佐日記) is a poetic diary written anonymously by the tenth-century Japanese poet Ki no Tsurayuki. The text details a 55-day journey in 935 returning to Kyoto from Tosa province, where Tsurayuki had been the ...

''), Publications orientalistes de France, series "Tama" *1960: ''La tradition secrète du'' nô, followed by ''Une journée de'' nô, éd. Gallimard-Unesco, series "Connaissance de l'Orient" *1997: ''Contes de pluie et de lune'' (''

Ugetsu Monogatari is a collection of nine supernatural tales first published in 1776. It is the best known work of Japanese author Ueda Akinari. Largely adapted from traditional Japanese and Chinese ghost stories, the collection is among the most important work ...

'') by Ueda Akinari, Gallimard-Unesco, series "Connaissance de l'Orient".

External links

"René Sieffert, Japanologist who translated the 'Ten Thousand Leaves' of the ''Man'yōshū''"
by Kirkup, James, ''Independent'' (London). April 17, 2004.
List of translations

Notice
on E. Universalis {{DEFAULTSORT:Sieffert, Rene French Japanologists Translators from Japanese University of Strasbourg alumni School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences faculty 1923 births People from Moselle (department) 2004 deaths 20th-century French translators