Biographies of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and French President Emmanuel Macron, have become best sellers in China, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Jan 15.

据《北京青年报》1月15日报道，包括美国总统唐纳德.特朗普、韩国总统文在寅和法国总统马克龙在内的世界各国领导人的自传在中国成为畅销书。

For example, the Chinese version of Trump’s biography The Art of Deal has been reprinted seven times. The book is listed among the top sellers of biographies of famous people on an e-commerce platform, and has received some 5,000 reviews.

例如，美国总统特朗普自传的中文版《交易的艺术》在中国已经印刷7次，在某电商平台人物传记销量排行榜中名列前茅，评论多达5000余条。

The president of South Korea selected Chinese as the first foreign language version of his biography Moon Jae-in: The Destiny. Moon wrote in the book’s preface that authorizing Chinese as the first foreign language version of his biography makes him feel more about the significance of the book and the delightfulness its publication has created.

韩国总统文在寅的自传《命运》的中文译本是他授权的首个外文译本。文在寅在中文版序言中写道，授权第一个外文译本为中文译本让他觉得这本书的出版意义深远，令人快慰。

Why do foreign leaders choose to have the Chinese versions of their biographies published around the time when they visit China?

为何这些外国领导人都在访华期间推出其自传的中文版？

Like Revolution by French President Emmanuel Macron, which followed his recent visit to China, Moon’s book was also released in China less than a month after his China visit.

法国总统马克龙到访中国后，其中文版自传《变革》出版，和他类似，韩国总统文在寅的中文版自传也是在访华后不到一月内出版。

Wang Qijin, deputy director of the Literature Publishing Center of Sichuan People’s Publishing House, which is a publisher of Revolution, said the book is worth recommending for its value in foreign affairs and cultural exchanges and the positive energy of the French president’s personal experiences.

《变革》的出版方之一四川人民出版社文学出版中心的副主任王其进说，无论从公共外交、文化民间交流，还是从法国总统个人经历带来的正能量看，这本书都是一部不错的作品。

The sales of the biographies come in line with the foreign leaders’ influence in China, though not all the biographies are bestsellers, Wang said.

他说，国外领导人传记一般与他在中国的影响力成正比，并不是都畅销。

In those biographies, the foreign leaders have also expressed their impressions of China. In The Destiny, Moon wrote: “I hope this book will help to enhance China-South Korea relations, deepen political mutual trust and promote common prosperity.”

在这些人物传记里，领导人也会谈到他们对中国的印象。比如在《命运》一书中，文在寅写道：“我希望这本书能够为巩固中韩两国友谊，加深彼此互信，促进共同繁荣。”

In Revolution, the French president not only proposed to develop a comprehensive partnership with China, but also mentioned French General Charles de Gaulle, saying that the Chinese leaders have never forgotten that France was the first Western country to recognize the People’s Republic of China.

马克龙在《变革》中不仅提议与中国展开全方位合作，还谈到了夏尔.戴高乐总统，称中国领导人从未忘记法国是第一个承认中华人民共和国的西方国家。

Biographies have become the most direct way for the public to know about world political leaders. Behind the publication of the books, there are some stories.

传记已成为公众了解这些世界领导人的最直接渠道。而在这些自传出版的背后，还有一些故事。

Zhang Xiaoming, one of the persons in charge of publishing Moon’s biography, said getting the copyright to publish the book is the result of a very fierce competition with many domestic rivals.

章晓明是文在寅自传《命运》中文版出版负责人之一，他说获得这本书的出版权还是与国内许多对手激烈竞争的结果。

Zhang Chunxiao, one of the publishing house’s editors of Revolution, said a special procedure was needed to publish this book, one that was unlike any book she has ever edited, as it is about a foreign leader.

张春晓是《变革》中文版的责编之一，她说这本书涉及外国领导人，与她以往编辑的图书不同，需要走特别的流程。

Usually, the publishers will need three to one year before these books are released into the market. But it took only two weeks of concerted efforts to publish Revolution during the president’s visit to China, Zhang said.

通常，这类书籍的出版短则三个月，长则一年以上。但我们想在马克龙访华时推出，因此经多方努力合作，仅用了两个星期的时间便顺利出版。

To check some details, the translators and editors will contact foreign organizations responsible for editing or publishing the presidents’ books. For instance, a person in charge of publishing Moon’s book said they once received a call from the Presidential Residence of Cheong Wa Dae to discuss some details in the book.

要确认一些细节信息，译者、编辑有时也会联系负责编辑或出版这些领导人自传的外国机构。比如，《命运》中文版出版方负责人之一说，他们曾接到来自韩国总统官邸青瓦台的电话，要沟通自传里的一些细节。

（来源：爱语吧）