Lao She's Novels and Essays

Author: Lao She
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Lao She is an exceptionally unique figure among modern Chinese writers. Unlike many other writers who began their careers with short stories or essays, Lao She gained fame primarily through novels such as The Philosophy of Lao Zhang and A Horse's Tale. His serious work in short fiction started relatively late, in the 1930s. This period marked the beginning of showcasing Lao She's profound artistic talent and the essence of his creative spirit. Lao She's essays, compared to his novels, appear more natural and spontaneous. This allows his inner thoughts to be laid bare before us. His essays are not（deliberately）crafted with techniques; they are simply the author speaking from the depths of his heart. Or, one could say Lao She did not consider them as "works." Thus, we can understand why Lao She "explicitly stated that he did not want anyone to collect, organize, or edit his essays," including his humorous writings. There are also many essays in Lao She's works that seem unrelated to life. They could be seen as Lao She's perspective on life, offering insights into certain emotions. For example, Thinking of Beiping reflects Lao She's love for Beiping, which may provide us with an opportunity to further appreciate and understand the life of this Beiping-born writer. "To observe life, to savor life, to interpret life—only then does your work truly come alive. To see, to see is to awaken the resonance of the soul, and this resonance is the voice of life." This is not only the key to understanding the essence of Lao She's spirit but perhaps also a key to understanding the works of all great writers.