The Letters of Fu Lei (Fifth Revised Edition)

Author: Fu Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Fu Lei possesses profound artistic cultivation. His contributions to the translation of Western literary works are widely recognized as excellent; his knowledge and understanding of Western music are also rare (hence his ability to raise Fu Cong). In Home Letters, Fu Lei frequently discusses music, art, foreign literature, and Chinese classical literature with Fu Cong. His knowledge is extensive yet accessible, making the book compelling. Reading Home Letters, Fu Lei’s passion and erudition shine before me. The brothers Fu Cong made these letters public, doing a beneficial thing. Through, Fu Lei’s scholarship, demeanor, cultivation, and thought are presented to readers, making them feel as if a kind, passionate, and serious scholar is confiding in them. I think Home Letters is a book worth reading for today’s literary youth; it will bring you endless joy. – Huang Miaozi, Reading Home Letters by Fu Lei
Every person has their own father, and every father loves their child. But a father as strict, meticulous, principled, and devoted to educating their children as Mr. Fu Lei is rare in the world. Home Letters by Fu Lei is a very special book. It is a reflection of Fu Lei’s thoughts, and it can even be called his most important work in his lifetime. Home Letters by Fu Lei completely embodies Fu Lei’s philosophy. Especially the letters he wrote to his son—originally not intended for publication—are written in the form of (daily chats). He is unrestrained, writing as he thinks, without worrying about "censorship" or "criticism." Precisely because of this, Home Letters by Fu Lei is like a mountain stream gurgling softly, like clouds unfurling in the blue sky, like seagulls soaring freely over the sea, like flawless white jade, like transparent crystals. The emotions are so pure and sincere, so straightforward. There is no pretense, no need for any affectation.
The significance of Home Letters by Fu Lei goes far beyond the scope of the Fu family. Philosophers can study Fu Lei’s thoughts and philosophy from it, educators can study methods of raising children, talent scholars can study the laws of talent cultivation, writers can study the prose style, artists can draw nourishment from music and art, historians can explore the hearts of Chinese intellectuals in the 1950s and 1960s, and general readers can take it as an excellent book for young people’s moral and intellectual development. Home Letters by Fu Lei has won many readers. – Ye Yonglie, The Death of Fu Lei
The letters in this collection are not ordinary home letters. In a letter to Fu Cong, Fu Lei wrote: "Writing long, rambling letters to you is not idle chatter, nor is it aimless gossip. Instead, it serves several purposes. First, I truly regard you as an opponent for discussing art and music; second, I very much want to elicit some reflections from you, a young person, to provide fresh insights for me as a father, which I can then share with other young people; third, I want to use correspondence to train you—not just in writing, but especially in your thinking; fourth, I want to be a constant alarm bell and a faithful mirror for you at all times and in all places, whether it concerns your character, life details, artistic cultivation, or performance posture."
The underlying sentiment in all the letters is to help his son understand the honor and disgrace of the nation, the dignity of art, and the ability to approach everything with a serious attitude, becoming an "artist of outstanding virtue and artistry."