The Complete Love Letters of Xu Zhimo

Author: Zhang Hong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Xu Zhimo (1897–1931) was a modern poet and essayist. His given name was Zhang Xuchen, and his pen names included Nanhu and Yunzhonghe. He was from Haining, Zhejiang. He graduated from Hangzhou No. 1 High School in 1915 and studied at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tianjin Beiyang University, and Peking University in succession. In 1918, he went to the United States to study banking. In 1921, he went to the UK for studies, enrolling as a special student at the University of Cambridge to study political economy. During his two years at Cambridge, he was deeply influenced by Western education as well as the romanticism and aestheticism of Western and Chinese poets. In 1921, he began writing new poetry. In 1922, upon returning to China, he published a large number of poems and essays in newspapers and magazines. In 1923, he participated in the founding of the Crescent Society and joined the Literature Research Association. In 1924, he co-founded the weekly magazine Modern Review with Hu Shi, Chen Xilin, and others, and served as a professor at Peking University. He served as the translator during the visit of the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore to China. In 1925, he traveled to Europe, visiting countries such as the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and France. In 1926, he edited the literary supplement Shijuan for the Morning News in Beijing, collaborating with Wen Yiduo, Zhu Xiang, and others to promote the regularization of new poetry, which significantly influenced the development of new poetic art. That same year, he moved to Shanghai and became a professor at Guanghua University, Da Xia University, and Nanjing Central University. In 1927, he participated in the founding of the Crescent Bookstore. After the Crescent monthly magazine was launched the following year, he served as its editor-in-chief. He also traveled to the UK, the US, Japan, and India. In 1930, he became a member of the China Committee of the China Cultural Fund and was elected a member of the British Poetry Society. That winter, he taught at Peking University and Beijing Women's University. In early 1931, he co-founded the quarterly Poetry Magazine with Chen Mengjia and Fang Weide and was elected a member of the Chinese branch of the Writers' Association. On November 19 of the same year, he took a plane from Nanjing to Beijing but crashed near Jinan due to fog, killing him. His published works include poetry collections such as Zhimo's Poems, A Night in, The Tiger Collection, and Cloud Journey, prose collections such as Fallen Leaves, Claws of Paris, Self-Analysis, and Autumn, the novel-prose collection The Wheel, the play Bian Kun Gang (co-written with Lu Xiaoman), diaries such as Love Notes to Mei and Zhimo's Diary, and translations such as The Short Stories of Mabel (Man). His works have been compiled into The Collected Works of Xu Zhimo. Xu's poetry is characterized by fresh phrasing, harmonious rhythms, original metaphors, rich imagination, beautiful imagery, ethereal moods, and dynamic variations. He pursued artistic formality and elegance, exhibiting a distinct artistic personality and becoming a representative poet of the Crescent Society. His prose also has a unique style and achieved accomplishments comparable to his poetry, with works such as Self-Analysis, Wishing to Fly, What I Know of, and Leisurely Talks at Mountain being celebrated masterpieces. In the afternoon, I went to Longhua to see the peach blossoms, but there were no trees in bloom near the pagoda. Disheartened, I returned. (The peach blossoms are in Xin Longhua). I went to Banzong Garden to take photos, but the sand and dust covered my face, making me look half-human. My mother is arriving tonight and will stay at Fan Garden. Wanzi often complains of headaches. Yesterday, the doctor said it's a congenital illness, and without immediate treatment, it will worsen. Shuyun took her to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic today, and the prognosis is even worse. Children shouldn't be too smart. Man says her sister is incredibly intelligent and beautiful, while she is just a foolish child. (Last night, Man had another episode of itching and jumping. She said, "The four of big faces are here!" She really is a child!). A single branch of flowers on the desk makes it less lonely. The moonlight moves, casting flower shadows on the window curtain, making it pleasant.