On the Edge of Life, Beyond the Edge of Life, Stone Speaks

Author: Qian Zhongshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Mr. Qian Zhongshu (1901–1998) was a renowned scholar and writer in modern China. His works, such as the widely acclaimed On the Art of Literature, Commentaries on the Qu Yuan, and Fortress Besieged, have all become important academic and literary classics of the 20th century. To present a comprehensive view of Mr. Qian Zhongshu’s academic and literary achievements for the sake of readers’ research and study, with his authorization, Sanlian Press organized a team to compile this Qian Zhongshu Collected Works.
Life is said to be a great book. If life is indeed like this, then half of us authors can only be considered book critics. With the skills of a critic, we need to read only a few pages before making a mountain of comments, writing a review, and handing in the work. However, there is another kind of person in the world. They believe that reading is not for the purpose of writing reviews or introductions. They have the leisurely and unhurried attitude of an amateur, browsing without haste. Whenever they have an opinion, they jot down a few words or a question mark or exclamation mark in the margins of the book, like the marginal annotations in old Chinese books or the marginalia in foreign books. These scattered remarks are not their conclusion on the entire book. Since they are written at random, the remarks may contradict each other in sequence, or they may even go over the top. They don’t bother to reconcile them, as it’s just for leisure, unlike critics who bear the heavy responsibility of guiding readers and instructing authors. Who has the ability and patience to do such things? If life is a great book, then the following essays can only be considered notes written on the edges of life. This book is truly vast! It’s not easy to read through at once, and there are still many blank spaces left on the margins that have been written in.