Lu Xun's Autobiography

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: I myself know that in China, my pen is relatively sharp, and sometimes my words are not lenient. But I also know how people use the names of reason and justice, the insignia of gentlemen, the false face of mildness and kindness, the weapon of public opinion, and twisted and winding words to pursue private interests, leaving the weak without knives or pens unable to catch their breath. — Lu Xun
For any literary biographer, the most precious material is the autobiographical writings left by the subject, even if they are just a few words. Therefore, private writings such as the subject's letters, especially diaries, are the most sought after by biographers, often regarded as treasures. At the same time, for readers who are keen on reading biographies, especially those with literary archaeology interests, overly autobiographical writings are excessive. Once the biographer rehandles them, they feel like scratching an itch through a coat, especially when an unqualified biographer writes a biography of a mediocre subject. — Fu Guangming
I was born in 1881 in a Zhou family in the city of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. My father was a scholar; my mother, surnamed Lu, was from the countryside and had acquired the ability to read through self-study. I heard that when I was young, our family had about four or five acres of small fields and were not very short of livelihood. But when I was thirteen, a great misfortune suddenly befell my family, leaving us nearly destitute. I stayed with a relative and was sometimes even called a beggar. Gradually, I could no longer afford even a small amount of tuition fees; my mother raised some travel money for me to find a school that did not require tuition, because I always refused to study to become a clerk or a merchant—the two common paths for declining scholarly families in my hometown.