Edwin McClellan (24 October 1925 – 27 April 2009) was a British

Japanologist , sometimes known as 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 language, History of Japan, history, ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, writer,

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

and

interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

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-Japa ...

and culture.

Biography

McClellan was born in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1925 to a Japanese mother, Teruko Yokobori and a British father who worked for

Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and su ...

in Japan. His mother and older brother died when he was two. Bilingual from birth and educated at the Canadian Academy in Kobe, McClellan and his father were repatriated to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in 1942 aboard the Tatsuta Maru, a passenger liner requisitioned by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

to repatriate British nationals from throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. In

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, McClellan taught Japanese at the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

as part of the war effort. At 18, he joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, hoping to become a fighter pilot, but his fluency in Japanese made him more useful to Allied intelligence. He spent the years 1944–1947 in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and at Langley Air Force Base in Maryland, analyzing intercepted Japanese communications. In 1948, he went to the University of St. Andrews, where he earned a degree in

British history The history of the British Isles began with its sporadic human habitation during the Palaeolithic from around 900,000 years ago. The British Isles has been continually occupied since the early Holocene, the current geological epoch, which star ...

and met his future wife, Rachel Elizabeth Pott. At St. Andrews he also met the noted political theorist

Russell Kirk Russell Amos Kirk (October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994) was an American political philosopher, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, author, and novelist who influenced 20th century American conservatism. In 1953, he authored '' T ...

, who took him on as his graduate student at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

. Two years later, McClellan transferred to the Committee on Social Thought at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

to work with classicist David Grene and economist and philosopher

Friedrich von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) was an Austrian-born British academic and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobe ...

. McClellan appealed to Hayek to write his doctoral dissertation on the novelist

Natsume Sōseki , born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', ''Kusamakura (novel), Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work ''Light and Darkness (novel), Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of Br ...

, whose work was much admired in Japan but unknown in the West. To persuade Hayek of Sōseki's importance as a writer and interpreter of Japanese modernity, McClellan translated Sōseki's novel ''Kokoro'' into English. McClellan's definitive translation of ''Kokoro'' was published in 1957. Awarded his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1957, McClellan taught English at Chicago until 1959 when he was asked to create a program in Japanese studies, housed in the university's Oriental Institute. He became full professor and founding chair of the Department of Far Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1965 and later was made the Carl Darling Buck Professor. In 1972, he moved to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and served as chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature 1973–1982 and 1988–1991. He was appointed as the Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Studies in 1979, the first chair at a U.S. university to be endowed by a Japanese sponsor. In 1999, McClellan was named a

Sterling Professor Sterling Professor, the highest academic rank at Yale University, is awarded to a Academic tenure in North America, tenured faculty member considered the best in their field. It is akin to the rank of distinguished professor at other universities. ...

, Yale's highest professorial honor. McClellan was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1977. In 1998 he was honored by the Japanese government with the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. His other major awards include the

Kikuchi Kan Prize The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Histo ...

( 菊池寛賞) for literature in 1994, the Noma Prize for literary translation in 1995 and th
Association for Asian Studies Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies
in 2005. In addition to his committee work at Chicago and Yale, McClellan served on the board of the

Council for International Exchange of Scholars For over 60 years, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) has helped administer the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S. government's flagship academic exchange effort, on behalf of the United States Department of State, Bureau o ...

(CIES), the American Advisory Committee of the

Japan Foundation The is a Japanese foundation that spreads Japanese culture around the world. Based in Tokyo, it was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture. I ...

, the

American Oriental Society The American Oriental Society is a learned society that encourages basic research in the languages and literatures of the Near East and Asia. It was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned ...

, the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

(NEH), the editorial board of the

Journal of Japanese Studies ''The Journal of Japanese Studies'' (''JJS'') is a journal dealing with research on Japan in the United States. It is a multidisciplinary forum for communicating new information, new interpretations, and recent research results concerning Japan t ...

and visiting committees in East Asian studies at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. His publications include translations of novels by Natsume Sōseki (in addition to ''Kokoro'', ''Grass on the Wayside'') and Shiga Naoya (''A Dark Night's Passing''); the translation of a memoir by Yoshikawa Eiji; a book of essays, ''Two Japanese Novelists: Soseki and Toson''; and a biography of 19th-century Japanese "bluestocking" Shibue Io, ''Woman in a Crested Kimono''. A festschrift published in his honor by the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Center for Japanese Studies, notes: "Among McClellan's students his seminars have become lore. ... The depth and breadth of readings these seminars required were a revolution in pedagogy when McClellan first began them over 20 years ago; and they continue to represent an ideal of graduate training in the field. ... He taught his students to ask the most fundamental questions about the literary imagination: how language functions within the history of literary forms and in the context of society, history, politics and the existential yearnings of a singular imagination." McClellan remained a British citizen until his death. His wife, Rachel, died in January 2009.

''Festschrift''

A ''festschrift'' was published in his honor by the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies.Center for Japanese Studies monograph web page
The 16 critical essays and selected modern period translations were compiled to demonstrate the high standards set by Professor McClellan. The contributors' work was intended to acknowledge the esteem McClellan earned as teacher and mentor. :* Alan Tansman and Dennis Washburn. (1997). ''Studies in Modern Japanese Literature: Essays and Translations in Honor of Edwin McClellan.'' Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan. (cloth) The McClellan Visiting Fellowship in Japanese Studies at Yale was inaugurated in 2000 by the Council on East Asian Studies in honor of Edwin McClellan, who was the Sterling Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature.

Honors and awards

* 1977 –

. "McClellan Named Sterling Professor of Japanese,"
Yale Office of Public Affairs. February 3, 1999. * 1994 –

* 1995 – Noma Prize, Literary Translation Prize * 1998 – Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, 1998. * 2005 –

Association for Asian Studies The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is a scholarly, non-political and non-profit professional association focusing on Asia and the study of Asia. It is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The Association provides members with an Ann ...

(AAS), Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian StudiesAssociation for Asian Studies (AAS)
2005 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies
; retrieved 2011-05-31

Published work

* 1969 – ''Two Japanese Novelists: Soseki and Toson''. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It pu ...

. ** _____. (1971) Tokyo:

Tuttle Publishing Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a book publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions.

. * 1985 – ''Woman in the Crested Kimono : The Life of Shibue Io and Her Family Drawn from

Mori Ōgai Lieutenant-General , known by his pen name , was a Japanese people, Japanese Military medicine, Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, Japanese poetry, poet and father of famed author Mori Mari, Mari Mori. He obtained his medical l ...

's 'Shibue Chusai. New Haven:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

Translations

. (1957). ''Kokoro''. Chicago: Regnery Gateway. ** _____. (1957). ''Kokoro''... ** _____. (1967). ''Kokoro''... ** _____. (1992). ''Kokoro''. Lanham, Maryland: National Book Network. ** _____. (1996). ''Kokoro''... ** _____. (2002). ''Kokoro''... ** _____. (2006). ''Kokoro''... ** _____. (2007). ''Kokoro''. London: Peter Owen Ltd. * Natsume Sōseki. (1969). ''Grass on the Wayside''. Chicago:

. ** _____. (1990). ''Grass on the Wayside''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for Japanese Studies. * Shiga Naoya. (1976) '' A Dark Night's Passing''. Tokyo:

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

. and * Yoshikawa Eiji. (1993). ''Fragments of a Past: A Memoir''. Tokyo: Kodansha. (cloth) and (paper)

Notes

References

* Brown, Janice. "Studies in Modern Japanese Literature: Essays and Translations in Honor of Edwin McClellan," ''The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese'', Vol. 33, No. 2 (Oct., 1999), pp. 100–103. * Schulman, Frank Joseph. (1970).
''Japan and Korea: An Annotated Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations in Western Languages, 1877-1969.''
London: outledge * Washburn, Dennis. "Studies in Modern Japanese Literature: Essays and Translations in Honor of Edwin McClellan," ''The Journal of Asian Studies'', Vol. 58, No. 1 (Feb., 1999), pp. 217–220.

External links

* Hirotsugu Aida
The Soseki Connection: Edwin McClellan, Friedrich Hayek, and Jun Eto," Tokyo Foundation.
2007
"McClellan Named Sterling Professor of Japanese,"
Yale Office of Public Affairs. February 3, 1999.
"In Memoriam: Edwin McClellan, Noted for Translations of Japanese Literature,"
Yale Office of Public Affairs. May 19, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:McClellan, Edwin 1925 births 2009 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Academics of SOAS University of London Harvard University people University of Chicago faculty Yale University faculty Japanese–English translators Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class British people of Japanese descent Scholars of Japanese literature Yale Sterling Professors 20th-century British translators