Half a life's fate

Author: Eileen Chang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: When the hands of time once again move to the glamour of the end of the century, the old tunes resurface and become new classics. Eileen Chang's return during that period has now proven to be not a fleeting bloom but a diamond—a timeless blue diamond. Not only does her presence stir the ink of literary history, but now, from the construction of the era's temperament to the selection of our book publishing topics, she has influenced us to a great extent, giving rise to a powerful "Eileen Chang phenomenon." A common saying is: Eileen Chang is a "legend." Though the term may no longer be creative, it is always fitting. The reason is that Eileen Chang herself loved using the word "legend," and her life was filled with legendary elements. In other words, when she used the term "legend" to describe the ordinary people in her works, she was also immersed in it—humans instinctively love watching plays and instinctively love performing in them, but the latter truly requires talent; most people simply content themselves with being the audience. For someone like Eileen Chang, who acted as both director, screenwriter, and protagonist of a play, it only makes one think more of Ban Zhilin's line: "The moon decorates your window, and you decorate others' dreams."
Choosing to republish Eighteen Springs and Half a Lifetime is something even we ourselves are quite proud of. The peak of Eileen Chang's long-form creative work should be considered these two works. On one hand, the artistic images of the era's men and women like Man Zhen and Shi Jun have been engraved in the memories of contemporary readers, intertwining with new emotions and giving rise to new reception histories and life trajectories. On the other hand, the two versions with deep roots, like sisters, appear together, which is especially a blessing for true "Chang fans" and professional researchers. Comparing—using Eileen Chang's words—"contrasting"—the differences between these two versions will help us glimpse the unique aspects of Eileen Chang's heart and mind as they change with time and place, allowing us to judge the of the two versions with either benevolence or wisdom. We believe that readers who have read both novels will appreciate the progression of Eileen Chang's novelistic art from "environmental tragedy" to "psychological tragedy." We also believe that readers familiar with modern Chinese literature will gain a deeper understanding of the path of Chinese culture over the past century, from "shouts" to "legend." These are all very interesting topics.
It needs to be added that this publication is based on the original versions of the two books, and we have strived to maintain the original flavor of the text. There may be some words or phrases that are misused due to their rarity, and we welcome your corrections.