Flowers of Literature Series -- Selected Prose Works of Xu Qinwen

Author: Xu Qinwen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Millions of essays, millions of attitudes towards life, embodying the emotions of masters as they contemplate nature and experience life and death. Life is like the four seasons, with flowers blooming and falling, yet the truth will be etched in these chapters. Reading this book, immerse yourself in the works of renowned authors, savor the love of family and the care of friends. A force for goodness will nourish the parched soul and invigorate the withered life. Enjoy the joy of reading, the joy of perception, and the joy of life. Every selected essay is widely acclaimed and can be considered a masterpiece of language and literature. Throughout history, how many exquisite essays, like pearls, have shone brilliantly! The "Hundred Flowers Essay Series" may not claim to have strung them into a necklace, but here they are no longer scattered pearls but more accessible for reading and appreciation. The selected essays focus on lyrical and narrative prose; the themes range from society and life to parting and flowers. The styles are both grand and unrestrained, as well as subtle and reserved. The "Hundred Flowers Essay Series" is not called a "Gathering of Treasures," but the works collected still radiate brilliance and inspiration. The "Hundred Flowers Essay Series" includes the "Ancient Chinese Essays Series," "Modern Chinese Essays Series," and "Contemporary Chinese Essays Series," all published in separate volumes selected by different authors. Ancient Chinese essays have a long and rich history, with deep roots and lush branches. Like poetry, they are one of the most important and distinctive forms of ancient Chinese literature, as well as a splendid cultural treasure trove in the history of human civilization. To promote the excellent culture of the Chinese nation, inherit the fine traditions of ancient essays, and promote the prosperity and improvement of contemporary essay writing, as well as provide readers with reference and appreciation, this "Ancient Chinese Essays Series" has been compiled as a part of the "Hundred Flowers Essay Series" for publication. The scope of the essay genre has evolved over time, differing between ancient and modern periods. The selected essays in this series are primarily literary in nature, such as lyrical and descriptive prose. The selected authors range from the pre-Qin period to the Qing Dynasty, with each author's works compiled in separate volumes. The order of the essays in each book is generally based on the chronological order of their composition, allowing readers to understand the development and evolution of essay writing. Each book in the series consists of two parts: one is an essay, which includes brief introductions to the author's life and literary activities, with a focus on analyzing and commenting on their essay writing philosophy, especially artistic characteristics, the development of their essay writing, and its influence. The other is the essays themselves, each accompanied by a title explanation and annotations. The essay part is designed to complement and enhance the prose part, using essays to help readers achieve a rational understanding of the selected works, while the selected essays deepen readers' perceptual understanding of the essays, creating a mutual reinforcement. This way, the series not only offers selected essays for reading but also, to some extent, serves as a study of the authors and even a history of ancient essays, differing from general essay anthologies and general histories of ancient essays while possessing its own unique characteristics. The selected essays in each book, in addition to the representative and renowned works of the authors, also include essays from different periods, themes, and styles to reflect the development of the author's essay writing. The title explanations not only interpret relevant words, specialized terms, and provide information on the writing time and sources but also offer concise comments on the background, ideological value, artistic characteristics, and artistic techniques of the works. The annotations primarily focus on explaining difficult characters, words, allusions, official titles, artifacts, names, and places. For important or uniquely used terms, references or examples are cited to help readers understand not only "what" but also "why." Xu Qinwen, praised by Lu Xun as a "local literature writer," was renowned in the 1920s and 1930s for his prolific novels in modern Chinese literature. In the latter half of the 20th century, he distinguished himself with his essays. Xu Qinwen (1897–1984), originally named Songling, later changed his name to Shireng, then to Shengleng, and finally to Qinwen, with pen names such as Shubin, Gaoyang, Fang Zhifu, Huashan Ke, and Tian Er. He was born on July 14, 1897, in Xushan, Dongpu, Xushan County. His father, Yue Zhong, was a private tutor. As a child, he was first taught by his father, then entered a private school. In 1910, during the last years of the Qing Dynasty, he entered Zhencheng Primary School. In 1913, he enrolled in the fifth normal school in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, where he studied with Tao Yuqing and Dong Qiufang. After graduating in 1919, he became a teacher at the affiliated primary school of the fifth normal school. In 1920, he founded the Railway Employee School in Puzhen, Jiangsu. In 1921, he studied at Peking University through a work-study program, auditing Lu Xun's "Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction" and Li Dazhao's lectures. In April of that year, he co-founded the literary group Chun Guang with Dong Qiufang at Peking University, inviting Lu Xun, Yu Dafu, and Zhou Zuoren to serve as advisors. He published novels such as "This Time of Leaving My Hometown," "Infection," and "The Ideal Partner" in the supplement of the "Morning Post." In 1924, he taught at the sixth normal school of Zhejiang Province in Taizhou. In April 1925, his short story collection "Hometown" was published with Lu Xun's help in editing. He also published collections such as "Other Stories of Wool Socks," "Nosey Ah San," "Mr. Zhao's Troubles," and "Going Home," which were called "local literature" by Lu Xun. After the publication of his short story "The Ideal Partner," Lu Xun wrote "A Happy Family" with the subtitle "Imitating Xu Qinwen," making him famous overnight. In 1926, he returned to Hangzhou from Beijing and became a teacher at the Hangzhou Senior High School of Zhejiang Province, continuing his literary career. In 1927, he published several novels, including "Phantom Residues," "If It Really Happened," "The Moon over West Lake," and "A Jar of Wine," most of which exposed the white terror. In 1921, he was imprisoned in Hangzhou due to the Liu Mengying and Tao Sijin incident, but was released after being falsely accused. He traveled to Sichuan and taught there. In August 1922, he was imprisoned again for suspicion of communism but was released after Lu Xun intervened. In July 1923, he went to Jimei Middle School in Fujian to teach. After Lu Xun's death, he returned to Shanghai to participate in the mourning. In 1937, with the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he joined Yu Dafu, Dong Qiufang, and Lou Shiyi in Fujian to participate in anti-Japanese activities, serving as the executive director and publicity minister of the Fuzhou Cultural Circle's Anti-Japanese Salvation Association and teaching at Fujian Normal School, continuing to write essays and reviews on anti-Japanese resistance. Notable works include "The Spirit of Lu Xun," "The National Soul," "General Qi's Spirit of Exterminating the Japanese," and "War in the Village." After the war, he returned to teaching at Hangzhou Senior High School and lived by selling his writings. In 1949, he became a professor at Zhejiang Normal College. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he joined the Democratic League of China in December 1950 and served as a central committee member and deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee. In March 1955, he became the deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Bureau, vice chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Literature and Art Federation, and standing committee member and deputy secretary-general of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1956, he became the vice chairman of the Zhejiang Branch of the Writers' Association. In 1963, he became the deputy chairman of the Xiling Seal Society in Hangzhou. After 1979, he served as a council member of the China Lu Xun Research Society, consultant to the Zhejiang Lu Xun Research Society, and vice chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Literature and Art Federation. He passed away in Hangzhou on November 10, 1984. His main works include "Analysis of 'Najie'," "Analysis of 'Panghuang'," "Learning from Lu Xun," "A Guide to Lu Xun's Novels," "The Childhood of Lu Xun," "Selected Explanations of Lu Xun's Prose," "Teaching Lu Xun's Works in Language Classes," and "Me in Lu Xun's Diary," totaling thirty volumes. He also published the "Selected Novels of Xu Qinwen" and the "Selected Prose of Xu Qinwen."