() Fou Lei's Letters to His Son (Fifth Revised Edition)

Author: Fu Lei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-03-20
Features: Fu Lei possesses profound artistic cultivation. His contributions to the translation of Western literary works are widely recognized as excellent; his knowledge and understanding of Western music are also rare (hence his ability to raise a Fu Cong). In Family Letters, Fu Lei often discussed music, art, foreign literature, and Chinese classical literature with Fu Cong. His knowledge is rich and accessible, making the book hard to put down. Reading Family Letters reveals Fu Lei's passion and erudition in dazzling light. Fu Cong and his brother published these letters, doing a good deed. Through (excellent artistic language), Fu Lei's scholarship, demeanor, cultivation, and thoughts are presented to readers, making them feel as if a kind, passionate, and serious scholar is confiding in them. I believe Family Letters is a book worth today's artistic youth reading seriously; it will bring you endless joy. – Huang Miaozi, Reading Family Letters by Fu Lei
Every person has their own father, and every father loves their child. However, a father as strict, meticulous, principled, and devoted to educating his children as Mr. Fu Lei is not common in the world. Family Letters is a very special book. It is a reflection of Fu Lei's thoughts, and can even be considered one of his most important works in his lifetime. Family Letters fully embodies Fu Lei's ideology. Especially the letters that were never intended for publication—home letters written by the father to his son—are written in a colloquial style. Unrestricted and free, he writes whatever is on his mind, without worrying about "censorship" or "criticism." Because of this, Family Letters is like a mountain stream babbling softly, like clouds unfurling in the blue sky, like seagulls soaring freely over the sea, like flawless white jade, like transparent crystals. The emotions are so pure and sincere. There is no trace of hypocrisy, nor any pretense. The significance of Family Letters extends far beyond the scope of the Fu family. Philosophers can study Fu Lei's thoughts and philosophy from it; educators can study methods of raising children; talent specialists can study the laws of cultivating talent; writers can study the style of prose; artists can draw nourishment from music and art; historians can explore the minds of Chinese intellectuals in the 1950s and 1960s; and can use it as an excellent read for young people's ideological cultivation. Family Letters has won numerous readers. – Ye Yonglie, The Death of Fu Lei
The letters collected in this anthology are not ordinary home letters. In a letter to Fu Cong, Fu Lei wrote: "Writing long, tedious letters to you is not idle chatter or senseless gossip, but serves several purposes. First, I indeed regard you as an opponent to discuss art and music with; second, I strongly want to elicit some reflections from you as a young person, which can serve as fresh nourishment for me as a father, and can also be indirectly shared with other young people; third, I want to train you through correspondence—not just in writing, but especially in your thoughts; fourth, I want to be a constant alarm clock and a 'loyal mirror' for you at all times, whether it comes to character, life details, artistic cultivation, or performance posture." The underlying sentiment that runs through all the letters is to help his son understand the honor of the nation, the dignity of art, and to adopt a serious attitude toward everything, becoming an "artist with both moral integrity and artistic excellence."
Note: "" is retained as-is, while all other Chinese text has been translated into English.