September Fable

Author: Zhang Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The book September Fable was rewritten after much effort, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to summarize myself: What did I lose? What did I gain? This book took me five years to write. Unlike The Ancient Ship, after finishing it, I felt as though a piece had been torn out of me, and it was hard to patch it up. It was the most precious piece. Finishing The Ancient Ship just made me feel tired; I didn’t feel as though anything had been taken away from me. I listen to and contemplate all kinds of opinions, but I have ample reasons to believe that it will be my best book for a long time. This book is neither mysterious nor esoteric; it is down-to-earth life. Many contemporary people, estranged from this kind of life, cannot understand or feel it, yet I experienced unparalleled joy while reading this long novel. Not only did my childhood life come alive again, but more importantly, it helped me re-establish an innate kinship with the land, rekindling days filled with both real suffering and joy. September Fable is the author’s masterpiece. A group of people keep walking and searching endlessly. They seem aimless, yet they repeatedly refuse—refusing the light and the weight of life, resisting everything with a mysterious yet stubborn resolve. There is always a lamp lit in a distant, intangible place, and they seek even the faintest glimmer of light in the vast darkness. The passionate love and profound bonds in life are this light and brightness, guiding us through trials and tranquility. Instant and eternity, solidity and flow merge into one. This is a fable-like history, reality, and future, serving as a vivid and concrete interpretation and annotation of humanity’s journey. A wise reader might vaguely sense a hidden system beneath the work—a kind of emotional shield that can protect a "homeland" from the wind and rain. Vague yet distinct, it echoes Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and William Faulkner’s Light in August, achieving a similar yet distinct effect. This profound meaning is hard to convey in words; each person must face the despair and hope in their own lives, silently savoring the vicissitudes and warmth of the world. Zhang Wei is both a guardian of love and home and an ever-roaming pioneer. Like the people in his works, he constantly asks: Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? And what person living in reality should not ask the same? September Fable is a heart-stirring work. As you read it, you may gasp for breath in awe. You’ll have to set down the book you’ve been reading, adjust your breathing, and stand by the window, gazing into the distance for a while. It is a history that coexists with both weight and ethereal light, sweet yet bittersweet, leaving you unable to help but tremble.