Ba Jin's prose

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Most of Ba Jin's prose works are collected in more than ten prose anthologies such as Notes from a Sea Voyage, Confessions of Life, Travel Sketches, Dragon, Tiger, Dog, Reminiscences, and Random Thoughts. The most brilliant pieces of Ba Jin's prose are those that recall the departed and celebrate the noble spirit of ordinary people. For example, early works like In Memory of My Elder Brother Fan and Commemorating Han Weng, as well as post-1949 pieces such as In Memory of Lu Xun, Mourning Jin Yi, and Comrade Liao Jingqiu, as well as the deeply moving In Memory of Xiao Shan. The greatest characteristic of Ba Jin's prose is its sincerity and approachability, moving readers with genuine emotion. This is mainly due to his preference for using the first person in his writing. When expressing emotions, Ba Jin does not rely on fervor but instead uses passionate language and ornate, elaborate expressions. Instead, he writes as an old friend confiding in you, with genuine feelings evident in every word, naturally infecting the reader. His language is like still water reflecting bright sand, clear and straightforward, flowing naturally without artifice. It reveals literary talent in simplicity, creates profound imagery in openness, and seeks rigor in nature. In Memory of Xiao Shan is one of the most representative works that embody the style of Ba Jin's prose. It is an elegy he wrote in memory of his late wife. In this piece, amidst ordinary narration, an overwhelming sense of heart-wrenching grief prevails. Through this grief, his deep love for his wife, his condemnation of the Cultural Revolution, and his hatred for the executioners all naturally surge forth, once again demonstrating the natural and authentic artistic charm of Ba Jin's prose.