Bright scar

Author: Han Dong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Originating from Guangzhou, the "Huayu Literature Media Award" will undoubtedly extend its influence beyond the Central Plains, just as literature itself is vast. It is heartening that writers such as Mo Yan, Han Dong, Wang Xiaoni, Yu Guangzhong, Wang Yao, and Xu Yiwa have become historical witnesses to this literary event. The purpose of the "Huayu Literature Media Award" is "freedom, independence, and creativity." The five authors in this series are all renowned literary figures in China, as they won the Second "Huayu Literature Media Award," jointly organized by the Southern Metropolis Daily and the Beijing News, for their significant works published or released in 2003. Now, their works have been compiled and published not only to preserve a linguistic memory but also to demonstrate a literary possibility—in my view, these five authors, from different perspectives, have witnessed a certain creativity and spirit of freedom in literature. Han Dong's poetry is concise and refined. His novels inherit this quality and extend his writing ideals. Through his self-breaking of outdated traditions and his attempts to engage with everyday life, he has successfullyed a new literary realm. His novels are profound yet deceptively simple; his language is clean, restrained, yet appears overly naive. These characteristics often cause his excellent literary talent to be overshadowed by the clamor of the times. The 2003 published work Rooting also faces such a fate. In this dense yet quiet work, history and memory, reality and fiction, small matters and grand eras, light and weight, are presented with Han Dong's unassuming narration, revealing an alternative heretical face. Careful readers can sense an inner tremor within, but those without sufficient patience may not fully grasp it. Perhaps Han Dong's differing responses lie in this—seeing truth in the subtle, finding depth in the light, and revealing warmth and resilience in calmness.