Selected Works of Ba Jin (5)

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-09-01
Features: Ba Jin (1904–) was originally named Li Yaotang, styled Fugan. He was from Chengdu, Sichuan. In 1920, he enrolled in Chengdu Foreign Language Special School. He participated in the activities of the progressive journal "Banyue She" (Half-Month Society). To pursue the light, in 1923, he (resolutely) broke free from the confines of the feudal family with his older brother and came to Shanghai and Nanjing, entering the preparatory school of Southeast University and engaging in some social activities. In 1927, while traveling in France, he studied in Paris and began literary creation. The following year, he returned to China to engage in literary activities. After the September 18th Incident, he actively participated in the salvation efforts. He had interactions with Lu Xun. He served as an editorial committee member of "Literary Quarterly," the general editor of the Cultural Life Publishing House, and co-edited "Wenji Monthly" with Jin Yi. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he co-founded "Fenghuo" with Mao Dun and served as a council member of the China Association for Promoting Cultural and Literary Resistance to Japan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as vice president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles for the second to fourth terms, vice president and president of the Chinese Writers' Association, president and honorary president of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Writers' Association, president of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and editor-in-chief of "Harvest" and "Shanghai Literature." He also served as a standing committee member of the fifth National People's Congress and vice chairperson of the sixth and seventh National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1982, he received the International Dante Prize from Italy. In 1983, he received the French Legion of Honor. In 1984, he received an honorary doctorate in literature from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 1985, he was named a foreign fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1990, he received the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples. His major works include the novels "The Withering," the "Trilogy of Love" (including "Fog," "Rain," and "Light"), the "Trilogy of Turbulent Currents" (including "Family," "Spring," and "Autumn"), and the "Trilogy of War" (including "Fire" I, II, and III), the novellas "Autumn in Spring," "Restless Garden," and "Cold Night," and the essay collections "New Voice Collection," "Ode Collection," and "Random Thoughts" (5 volumes). His translated works include the novels "Father and Son" and "Virgin Soil," and the memoir "Reminiscences and Random Thoughts." This book is one of the selected works of Ba Jin, collecting three works: "The Dream of the Sea," "Autumn in Spring," and "Restless Garden." "The Dream of the Sea" tells a story through the narrative of a woman named Nadya, praising the revolutionary youth and celebrating the resistance struggles of the people (invaded). "Autumn in Spring" depicts the tragic love story of the female protagonist Zheng Peiyi and Lin, condemning the unreasonable old social system, unfree marriages, ideological constraints, family autocracy, and the destruction of young women in their prime. "Restless Garden" describes the life of the protagonist Yao Guodong and his family in the garden, telling people that grand houses and beautiful gardens often change owners. Who has seen private property preserved for a hundred or several hundred years! What is preserved instead, in the eyes of some, are the extremely (vague) and extremely hollow things—ideals and beliefs.