Betrayal and Love: A Collection of Essays

Author: Si Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: When Si Yu began writing prose in the 1980s, she quickly gained recognition with her fresh and distinctive style, which stood out from the works of her predecessors like Yang Shuo and Qin Mu. In the early 1990s, she created a series of avant-garde prose pieces filled with bizarre and symbolic elements, which rapidly won her readers. Si Yu's prose delves into the ordinary lives of common people, such as depicting the mother-child relationship in everyday secular life, focusing on themes like kindergartens, snow, old houses, the essence of daily necessities, football, rules, illness, and jealousy. She sharply pointed out that "love is the void in the heart after intense sorrow." In the realm of fiction, she achieved fame with works such as the short novels "Pink Powder," "Dreams Are Not Dreams," and "The Woman Who Sold Yawns," as well as the long novel "The Shadow of the Harp." Critics have dubbed her "fantasy realism." Her works reflect her deep affection for human, her love for her hometown's landscapes, her contemplation of the complexities of life and human relationships, and her portrayal of youthful dreams, the ups and downs of life, and the boundless exploration of thought. All these rich and diverse themes, along with her keen and delicate sensory experiences, are woven through by the author's heart that seeks goodness and beauty, and her spirit that faces reality and pursues truth. Some critics have remarked that Si Yu's prose possesses a "calm strength," offering readers a refreshing respite amidst the flood of and sensational prose flooding the internet. The newly released "Three-Volume Collected Works of Si Yu" spans over 600,000 words, compiling the essence of her creations in fiction, prose, and essays over the 20 years of her writing career. This volume is the prose collection.