Roaming lamps

Author: Han Man
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The "Post-Essay Series" focuses on such essays—those hidden behind media essays. Their authors possess independent value judgments and artistic pursuits, and persist in these pursuits in their works. Their writing does not cater to media demands, nor does it accommodate traditional reading habits. What they can maintain is the dignity of writing. They believe that even in a commodity society, there should not be a mere manufacturer-consumer relationship between essay authors and readers. They regard readers as friends in spirit, and see themselves as friends as well. It is unnecessary to package or promote them.
"No matter what it is, it must have / A stomach capable of digesting / Rubber, coal, uranium, the moon, and poetry / Like a shark, a shoe in its belly / It must swim across the desert for many miles / Emitting cries like human voices"
—The essays I idealize should also be like the omnivorous creature in the works of American poet Louis Simpson: massive in form, diverse in inner character, powerful in action, and far-reaching in influence. In the waters around a shark, a single blade of grass, a single rock—all sense its presence and tremble. I hope my words are close to a shark rather than leaning toward a goldfish—some ornamental animal that survives on special feed and lounges lazily in a glass aquarium within a luxurious living room. I hope the "stomach" of my words is as rich as a shark's."