Essays and Miscellaneous Writings (A Series of Winning Works of the 2nd Lu Xun Literature Prize)

Author: Gao Hongbo / Lin Mang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The Lu Xun Literature Prize is a national, high-level literary award, regarded by Chinese writers as comparable in status to the Nobel Prize in Literature. The winning works of the 2nd Lu Xun Literature Prize National Outstanding Poetry Award are: "Daya Village Talk" by Li Guowen, "Mountain Residences" by Yu Qiujiu, "The Return of the Spirit" by Zhu Tiezhi, "The West Wind Blew the Green Trees Last Night" by Xu Guangyao, and "Zhang Kangan's Prose" by Zhang Kangan.
Editor's Note: The selection process for the various literary awards of the 2nd Lu Xun Literature Prize, organized by the Chinese Writers' Association, was initiated in April of this year. After nearly six months of planning and operation, the awards were announced just before the 120th anniversary of the cultural giant Lu Xun. This marked a review of literary achievements from 1997 to 2000 and was a bountiful result of literary workers upholding Lu Xun's spirit and adhering to the direction of serving the people and socialism through art. It was also a great event in the literary world. The Lu Xun Literature Prize's National Outstanding Prose and Essay Award was specifically organized by the "Arts Paper." Since the call for entries was issued, more than 100 prose and essay works were recommended by writers' associations and publishing houses across provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in accordance with the award rules. The award office conducted a review of each submission, assembling an 11-member selection committee composed of reputable writers, critics, and editors. At the same time, an initial selection team was formed, consisting of experienced newspaper and journal editors and critics familiar with literary creation. This team read and screened over 100 works, proposing a number of shortlisted candidates for the final committee to review and select.
Following the award rules, the selection committee, in order of priority, added several more works to the shortlist provided by the initial selection team. After thorough discussions and negotiations, with a sense of responsibility and fairness, the committee ultimately selected five winning works through a secret ballot. These were: Li Guowen's "Daya Village Talk," Yu Qiujiu's "Mountain Residences," Zhu Tiezhi's "The Return of the Spirit," Xu Guangyao's "The West Wind Blew the Green Trees Last Night," and Zhang Kangan's "Zhang Kangan's Prose."
When reviewing the submitted works, the selection committee deeply felt the vibrancy and prosperity in recent years in the creation of prose, essays, and reflective essays, with an expanding pool of writers, broader perspectives, diverse styles, and a wealth of outstanding works, which was truly exciting. However, due to the limited number of awards, the committee felt a sense of regret for not being able to recognize all the exceptional works. Nevertheless, the five winning works are fully deserving of the honor, and they exhibit a variety of styles. There are insightful historical essays, heart-wrenching personal narratives, sharp and incisive essays, grand cultural prose, and traditional emotional essays. Reading them will undoubtedly bring you joy. Each of the five winning works is dozens of thousands of words long. We have selected some of the most outstanding pieces from each to compile this collection, believing that readers will appreciate the unique styles and personalities of the award-winning authors.
Yuan Ying, Li Xing, Ye
September 2, 2001