Renowned dictionary editor and translator Lu Gusun dies at 76

Lu Gusun delivers the keynote speech at the Shanghai Book Fair. [Photo/IC]

Lu Gusun, professor at the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures of Fudan University and director of Shanghai Translation Association, passed away at the Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine on July 28.

Born in Yuyao in East China's Zhejiang province, Lu graduated from Fudan University in 1965. He has been teaching there since then. His focus was on English and American literature, and Shakespeare's works in particular.

He was committed to compiling an English-Chinese Dictionary in 1976 and acted as the chief editor for ten years until 1986.

The 15 million-character-English-Chinese Dictionary, published by the Shanghai Publishing House, was the first English dictionary compiled independently by Chinese people.

The dictionary won the First "National Book Award" in 1993 and was later appointed by the United Nations as the official reference for English to Chinese translation.

Lu once said, "Compiling dictionaries is like cooking in the kitchen. Anyone who cannot bear the smell of the kitchen is unable put up with the work of compilation."

Lu was also a renowned translator in China. He has translated more than 2 million characters and published over 10 translated works including The Young Lions, The Moneychangers, and Prisoner of Second Avenue.

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