Wings to Fly · Scraps of Paris

Author: Xu Zhimo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The great masters of the May Fourth New Literature were all exceptionally talented and eloquent. Xu Zhimo was one of the most representative figures among them. He gained fame for his poetry, pioneering a new literary style, and his prose was equally outstanding, widely acclaimed, and even his close friend Liang Shiqiu remarked, "Zhimo's prose surpassed his poetry." Xu Zhimo was immersed in the realm of poetry throughout his life, and equally so in the realm of prose, which he called his "left-hand Muse" (a phrase borrowed from Yu Guangzhong). Before his passing, he had published three prose collections—Falling Leaves, Fragments of Paris, and Self-Analysis—matching the number of poetry collections he had published. His prose was boundless, covering a wide range of topics, heartfelt, approachable, unrestrained in expression, and rich in vivid, colorful language. Describing it as "thick enough to dissolve," is truly fitting. Whether in long works like Fragments of Paris and Autumn or short pieces like Sunrise Over Mount Tai and A Poet, whether in passionate diary entries of love or heartfelt letters between lovers separated by distance, it remains the same. Works like What I Know of Cambridge, Self-Analysis, Wishing to Fly, and Manshu Fei'er have long since become celebrated masterpieces of modern Chinese prose.