New Persian Letters

Author: Liang Zhiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Letters from a Persian was published in 1721 and can be considered Montesquieu's breakthrough work. In this book, the author, through the form of letters, uses the voices of two Persians to make detailed observations and outstanding critiques of French society at the time. These two points are precisely what we—the several authors of this book—have strived to achieve when discussing the concept of law in China. Interestingly, Montesquieu, back then, published the book under the names of two Persian nobles, evaluating France from an Eastern perspective. Two hundred and sixty years later, we, on the other hand, are using the eyes of several young Parisians to make serious observations about Chinese society from the perspective of legal concepts. The eleven letters collected in this book are from "them." In reality, Letters from a Persian was written by a pure French nobleman, while the contributors to this book are all genuine ordinary young Chinese. This is indeed a thought-provoking coincidence. Montesquieu's arrangement of two Persians on stage may have been for the sake of enhancing the dramatic effect, but primarily, it was likely to highlight the problems hidden behind phenomena that French people took for granted in a starkly contrasting and vivid form. This is also one of the reasons why this book adopts a similar writing style. In short, naming this book New Letters from a Persian was mainly due to the two considerations mentioned above. As for the issues discussed in the book, they are naturally quite different, as the historical, social, and cultural backgrounds are completely distinct. Even as a letter-based form, the style is not the same. Montesquieu expressed his ideas through stories, fables, and other means, while this book is more straightforward in its discussions. This might disappoint some readers who enjoy stories, but that is not our fault. Because this book is written for those willing to explore social issues, those who think critically and dare to critique.
Next, about the writing of this book. The book includes eleven letters, each written by a different author. Letter No. 8 was written by Shi Taifeng, Letter No. 11 was written by He Weifang, and Letter No. 7 was written by me. After that, I polished and edited the entire book and wrote the "Introduction" before each letter. With multiple authors, the writing styles vary, but I was happy to find that everyone's perspectives were very close, and the individual pieces complement each other perfectly. Out of respect for the authors, I did my best to maintain the original style, hoping it won't cause inconvenience in reading. Montesquieu's Letters from a Persian was a bestseller upon its release. It is said that the booksellers at the time would grab anyone they saw and say, "Sir, I beg you, write me a Letters from a Persian." Naming this book New Letters from a Persian might inevitably give the impression of "adding to the pile." In reality, we merely borrowed its form and spirit to express our modest views. If we encounter harsh criticism, there's nothing we can do—we just chose such a title carelessly back then. Let's take comfort in Montesquieu's words: "If the book is good, people will read it; if the book is not good, whether people read it or not, it makes no difference to me."