Aging at the Pen: The Book of Jiechen

Author: Jie Chen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This is a book written for all women who love reading. It is a masterpiece that Jie Chen, the renowned female author known for her bookish charm, has spent ten years perfecting. Just as a food connoisseur must possess a refined palate, a good storyteller must have keen eyes and expressive skills. Jie Chen has certainly done an excellent job. Of course, what is most irresistible is the charm and infectiveness of her writing. From Marguerite Duras and Colette to Virginia Woolf and Fran?oise Sagan; from Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon to Zhu Tianxin and Zhu Tianwen; and from Eileen Chang and Li Bihua to Lin Huiyin and Zhang Yunhe, it belongs to all those deeply in love with books. The title "Growing Old at the Pen" carries a special meaning. A good title, once spoken, can never be changed. The title was originally the name of an article in Jie Chen's book. It originally referred to a certain type of female writers who, upon picking up their pens, wrote with wisdom, without a period of awkward practice—what is called "growing old at the pen." However, used as a book title, it takes on a different meaning, expanding the boundaries and evoking a sense of melancholy. Those women who pick up their pens—right from the start, they grow old. Moreover, writing is an eternal pursuit, and over the passage of time, it may be thinned or thickened, inevitably aging. This is a book about female writers and the women in their works. It seems Jie Chen has long been concerned with this topic. The earliest article in the collection was written in 1995. It has been nearly a decade.