Literary New Book Reviews (2004~2005)

Author: Bai Ye
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: For this "Literary New Book Review," the selection of book review articles considers both the importance of the reviewed works and the brilliance of the reviews themselves. The intention is to reflect the abundant achievements of literary creation and research through this bidirectional selection of excellence, using the specific to represent the general. In my view, this is essentially a way of discussing literature through book reviews, or alternatively, viewing the literary scene from a different perspective. —Bai Ye
"The Literary New Book Review" is a curated collection of selected literary book review articles, planned to be published annually. Social Sciences Academic Press had previously published "Historical New Book Review," among others, and plans to add "Literary New Book Review." In late 2003, Song Yuehua, the editor-in-chief of the publishing center at Social Sciences Academic Press, sincerely invited me to compile "Literary New Book Review." I hesitated at first, as I was already overwhelmed with work at the end of the year and didn’t want to add to my own burden. Additionally, I had no certainty about what form this project would take or what impact it might have. As a result, I delayed making a decision.
By late 2004, Song Yuehua brought up the matter again several times. I felt compelled to accept her kind invitation and also believed that dedicating myself to compiling a "Literary New Book Review" would be a beneficial endeavor. Thus, starting from the end of the year and extending through the winter holiday, I finally brought this project to fruition.
In fact, the current literary scene reflects the annual literary landscape primarily through the "Annual Literary Trends Report" I oversee, as well as through a variety of "yearbooks" of literary works with different titles and formats. These "yearbooks," aside from differing in compilers and selected works, are largely indistinguishable from one another. However, reviews of literary works and literary research books have not received the attention they deserve. With the increasing number of literary books each year, their influence within and beyond the literary world is significant. Reviews of literary books have, in fact, become involved in the production and circulation of literature. It is clearly necessary and important to compile and reflect on these aspects, and it could even be said to be irreplaceable and indispensable.
Unlike history and other disciplines, literature is not just a field of study—it also encompasses the practice of writership and the experience of readership. It is a dynamic "literary activity." Therefore, this "Literary New Book Review" cannot avoid engaging with this "literary activity," dedicating significant space to literary works, scanning literary reading, and covering the achievements of various literary creations, primarily focusing on novels but also including other genres. Even for academic book reviews, every aspect of the discipline is taken into account as much as possible.
In selecting book review articles, both the importance of the reviewed works and the brilliance of the reviews themselves are considered. The intention is to reflect, through this bidirectional selection of excellence, not only the abundant achievements of literary creation and research but also the substantial contributions to the review of these two major categories of literary books. In my view, this is essentially a way of discussing literature through book reviews, or alternatively, viewing the literary scene from a different perspective.
I have compiled "Annual Chronicle of Chinese Literary Scene" and "Annual Selection of Chinese Literary Theory" for Yangtze Literature Publishing House, and "Annual Literary Trends Report" for Social Sciences Academic Press. With this "Literary New Book Review," there are now four books that reflect the annual literary scene and literary conditions. These books can be read in reference to one another, as only by connecting them or combining them can one grasp the vibrant yet relatively complete literary landscape.
This year marks the first compilation and publication of "Literary New Book Review." Whether in terms of overall approach, section design, or article selection, there have been both careful considerations and unavoidable shortcomings. I sincerely hope readers and experts will kindly offer guidance to help this publication grow and improve continuously.
During the compilation process of "Literary New Book Review," we received strong support from several magazines and newspaper book review columns, particularly from "Sina News · Reading Channel," "Book Digest," and the Open Book Research Institute. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these institutions.