Dumpling restaurant

Author: Jia Pingwa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: "The Series of Chinese Writers' Archives" is not merely a collection of documents meant for preservation and reference. It is not a chronological record of literary achievements arranged in a hierarchical order from the early 20th century onwards. While such an approach may be safe, it lacks dynamism. If literary works are reduced to the significance of museum exhibits, they cease to be living literature. Therefore, we focus on readers and the present reality, starting from the current era and gradually expanding like ripples. We combine the approval of experts with the favor of readers to introduce a series of outstanding, uniquely distinctive, and highly influential authors' self-selected collections.
Called a self-selected collection, yet it differs from the conventional sense of "self-selected collections," which merely present a few works to readers and end there. In our selections, each author is accompanied by 20 important photographs from their childhood to the present—visual intuition often surpasses the reach of words. There is one of their first works, one of their breakthrough works, one of their representative works, one of their most influential or controversial works, and multiple works from the new millennium. Additionally, there is a recent interview with the author and an impressionistic account written by others through their perspective. All of this is fascinating—it’s like pressing several key points, and with a single touch, the essence of the author comes alive. When individual authors come alive, can a long stretch of literary history fail to do so? Fundamentally speaking, the history of literature is the history of individual authors and their works.
In this light, "The Series of Chinese Writers' Archives" can be considered a significant undertaking in both the literary and publishing worlds at the dawn of the new century. At this crossroads of the century, people are naturally filled with a desire to look back at history and look forward to the future. The literary world is no exception. Some have taken the 20th century as a unit, busy establishing "classics," aiming to freeze history in their hands. Others have sifted through a century of texts, selecting the "Top 100 Chinese Novels," seeking to leave behind an authoritative bibliography for history. Still others are eager to promote "masters," using individuals to represent history, analyzing people and their times, and striving to paint a landscape of peaks competing in splendor. All of these activities hold meaning.
However, the Creative Research Department of the Chinese Writers' Association has no intention of joining the ranks of "classicization." Instead, it has decided to adopt the "Series of Chinese Writers' Archives" to summarize the developing literary landscape. Facing history, we neither want to hastily pass judgment nor make definitive conclusions. Instead, we emphasize showcasing the profound footprints left by numerous authors.