Liang Shiqiu's Collected Essays

Author: Liang Shiqiu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Editing the works of a master is not easy. That massive two million words, each article reflects life's experiences, every stroke embodies Liang Shiqiu—the great master of prose of his generation. My selection is not about confining myself to a small room in time and space. There is a mysterious force coming from the distant past, from the purity of moonlight, compelling me into a dialogue with the master's soul, to feel his "brilliance reaching its peak tends toward simplicity" in his essays of ambition and love. Following his heart's journey, watching him shift from "serving the world" to "cultivating oneself in solitude," devoted to aesthetically enjoying life, writing joy from sorrow and wisdom from pain. Born in Beijing in January 1903, his original hometown was Hang County, Zhejiang (now Yuhang); in 1923, he graduated from Tsinghua and went abroad to study English and British literature; in 1926, he returned to China and taught at several universities in the north and south; in the 1930s, he became a key member of the famous literary group "The Crescent Society"; in 1938, he moved to Sichuan and resided in Beibei, Chongqing; in 1948, he went to Shanghai, then Guangzhou, and finally Taiwan, where he stayed until his sudden passing in November 1987. As a typical modern Chinese free intellectual, Liang Shiqiu "lived long without boredom, writing for self-entertainment, writing freely without regard for structure," leaving behind an unparalleled legacy such as Winter Night Critiques of Grass, The Art of Insulting, The Discipline of Literature, Collected Prejudices, Critical Essays on Literature, Essays from Yashu, On Xu Zhimo, Eight Years at Tsinghua, Miscellaneous Writings from Autumn Room, Reminiscences of Autumn Room, Dreams of Huayuan, Gathering of Observations, Notes of Liang Shiqiu, The White Cat Prince and Other Stories, Eating in Yashu, History of English Literature, and the Chinese translation of The Complete Works of Shakespeare. His eldest daughter, Ms. Liang Wenqian, told me: "My father's works have numerous large and small editions in China and have remained bestsellers for a long time. Among them, Essays from Yashu has over 300 versions both in China and abroad, which fully demonstrates the readers' love for his works.