Who Conquers the Frontier - A Classic Reading at the Turn of the Century (Middle Volume)

Author: Lin Bai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This book is not a comprehensive anthology that measures the value of contemporary fiction. However, from a certain "standard," I believe they are valuable. They are not detached but possess transcendent spiritual value. They intimately and deeply care about our mundane lives, the concrete existence of individual lives, and our spiritual paths. If you have the opportunity or interest to read and finish this book, I believe you have finally not missed out on some of the best contemporary fiction of our time. — Wu Jun
This book is not a comprehensive anthology that measures the value of contemporary fiction. However, from a certain "standard," I believe they are valuable. The works included fall roughly within the last decade (from 1994, 1995 to the present), and the genre is the medium-length novel. The primary reasons I value these works are:
1. They all possess highly mature linguistic qualities. I have always believed that the lowest requirement and the highest realm of fiction should first and foremost be reflected in its linguistic quality. The foundation of fiction lies in narrative.
2. They all exhibit outstanding individual experience and imagination. Here, experience and imagination transcend the actual personal experiences of the writers; or, in other words, "individual" is not limited to the writer's personal scope. The literary sense of individuality emphasizes the richness contained within "the unique." The emphasis on individuality aims to counteract the abstraction and universality in literary evaluation.
3. They all possess a certain kind of sharpness and depth from a particular perspective. That is to say, they all deeply reach into the hidden depths of human nature in a concrete way. Depth is both felt as a shock and as a sting. They are not gentle caresses toward us but "tears," yet what you see may not be entirely exposed blood. The pursuit of infinite perfection in human nature and the sharpness and depth of its expression should not necessarily be in contradiction, but there is an extreme difficulty in achieving them. We are too accustomed to seeing the depth of human nature from the "other side."
4. They all possess a realistic social concern and a humanistic spiritual concern. Whether it is individual factors or historical factors, they are all related to our specific real-life circumstances. They are not detached but possess transcendent spiritual value. They intimately and deeply care about our mundane lives, the concrete existence of individual human lives, and our spiritual paths.