Selected Essays of Xu Zhimo

Author: Xu Zhimo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Xu Zhimo was a famous bourgeois poet and writer in the history of modern Chinese literature. His life was short, lasting only 36 years, and his literary career was also brief, spanning only 10 years. However, from the early 1920s to the early 1930s, he was an active figure in the literary world. His thoughts and art typified the ideological trends and artistic tastes of the Chinese bourgeoisie, and his creations bore distinct individual characteristics and artistic styles. Mao Dun once made a highly regarded judgment on Xu Zhimo's life, pointing out that he was the representative poet of the Chinese bourgeoisie, the "pioneer and the last of the bourgeois poets in China," and that "no successors after Zhimo could match him in achievement." Half a century later, Mao Dun commented again: "I believe that Xu Zhimo holds an important position among poets after the May Fourth Movement. He was the representative poet of the Chinese bourgeoisie and is very worthy of attention and research." As a poet, no matter how different the evaluations of him may be, people universally acknowledge his status. However, as a prose writer, it is said that "his status as a prose writer still awaits confirmation." In fact, as early as the 1920s and 1930s, not only was his status as a prose writer "confirmed," but he was also regarded as a representative of a particular prose school. His works were included in anthologies such as "The Great Series of New Chinese Literature: Prose Collection I" and various selected collections of prose and essays. His prose had attracted widespread attention from researchers. Even during his lifetime, some people said, "his poetry and prose had styles never seen before in Chinese literature." "In both prose and poetry, the brilliance he achieved was unmatched domestically." After his death, many people in their commemorative essays mentioned his prose. His peers and students from the "New Moon Society" certainly praised him highly, saying, "When he wrote, he was truly passionate and exhilarating, leaving readers speechless, only nodding, smiling, and admiring!" Some praised him as a prose writer with "exquisite literary talent, capable of stringing together a series of pearls in his prose," a feat unmatched by any modern writer." Xu Zhimo's friends also spoke highly of his prose. Some said his achievements in prose were "not small," while others even believed his prose was more accomplished than his poetry, calling it "an expansion of his poetry." Others praised his prose as "like the surging layers of summer clouds, the gurgling streams of spring springs!" His writing indeed had a unique style, and in the realm of prose, he could not be ignored. Of course, such high praise was sometimes bordering on flattery and not entirely scientific. Perhaps due to his connections as a fellow, teacher-student, or friend, there was a tendency to favor him, leading to excessive praise. Nevertheless, it is a fact that Xu Zhimo's artistic achievements and unique style in prose made him a representative figure in the development of modern Chinese prose. On this point, even the left-wing writers of the time gave him due recognition, calling his prose "a form of poetry" and noting that he "truly put in a great deal of effort in prose," acknowledging his "contributions" to the history of prose development. However, for many years, research on Xu Zhimo has primarily focused on his poetry, with very few people exploring his prose. Poetry and prose were like the two wings of a bird or the two wheels of a vehicle to Xu Zhimo—he could not be Xu Zhimo without either, and thus, research on both should not be neglected. This book selects more than 30 of Xu Zhimo's prose works, including famous and excellent pieces such as "Sunrise Over Mount Tai," "What I Know of Cambridge," "Selected Letters of Xu Zhimo," and "My Peter." Additionally, the editor has written an insightful preface based on a wealth of extensive and accurate materials. This book is not only suitable for readers to appreciate but also provides reference materials for researchers.