Qiu Shi

When studying literary translation, a special emphasis is to be put on the understanding of the complex relationship between the two creators, viz. the author and the translator. In addition to frequent and important differences in their worldview, cultural and literary views and preferences, there is an equally important problem – that of the interaction of their personal styles. We can recall the words of the French writer Buffon: “The style is the man himself” and only because of the original “style” of his creation does his work acquire a unique image and genuine value. At the same time, we need to recognize the objectivity of the existence of individual styles in highly professional translators.

The article deals with the history of translations of e Black Monk by Anton Chekhov in different periods of the 20th century in China. Chinese readers first got acquainted with translations of Russian literature at the beginning of the 20th century. Around that time, the first publications of Chekhov’s works were made in Chinese, including the Black Monk which is considered to be the first Chinese translation of Chekhov’s literary works ever the author analyzes features of the translations in different periods of the 20th century.