The Song of Everlasting Sorrow (novel)

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow

cover of the English translation published by Columbia University Press
Author	Wang Anyi
Original title
Traditional
Simplified
Mandarin	Cháng hèn gē
Translator	Michael Berry & Susan Chan Egan (2008)
Country	China
Language	Chinese
Set in	Shanghai, 1945–1986
Published	1995, Writers Publishing House

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a 1995 Chinese novel by Wang Anyi.

The novel follows Wang Qiyao, a sensitive Shanghai beauty, from 1945 to her murder in 1986. The title is identical to a famous 809 poem by Bai Juyi, about the romance and tragic death of the beautiful imperial consort Yang Yuhuan.

The novel has also been translated into Vietnamese by Sơn Lê (as Trường hận ca), into Korean by Yu Byeong-rye (as 장한가), into French by Yvonne André and Stéphane Lévêque (as Le chant des regrets éternels), into Spanish by Carlos Ossés Torrón (as La canción de la pena eterna), into Italian by Maria Rita Masci (as La canzone dell'eterno rimpianto), and into Russian by Maria V. Semenyuk (as Песнь о бесконечной тоске).

In addition, the English translation was awarded Honorable Mention at the 6th Lois Roth Award (for translation of a literary work) in 2009 by the Modern Language Association.

Both adaptations differ significantly from the original, especially the film version. In both versions, Mr. Cheng survived the Cultural Revolution and figured prominently in Wang Qiyao's later life.

As early as 2003, the novel was also adapted for stage by Zhao Yaomin (who later co-wrote the teleplay for To Live to Love). The first performance at the Shanghai Drama Art Center starred Zhang Lu as Wang Qiyao.