Rumors Surrounding Lu Xiaoman

Author: Chai Cao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Controversial Lu Xiaoman collects 46 articles written by Lu Xiaoman's husband Xu Zhimo, relatives, former friends, and some contemporary researchers (including diaries). These articles recall, study, and comment on Lu Xiaoman, a "Prometheus who once shook the Chinese literary and artistic circles in the 1920s" (as described by Yu Dafu). The book also includes poems written by famous friends such as Tagore, Hu Shi, Wen Yiduo, and Feng Zikai on the memorial album for Lu Xiaoman, as well as critiques of her calligraphy and painting creations. Some of these materials are being disclosed for the first time. The book also intersperses some precious photographs, some of which are classic but previously used, while others are newly discovered "old photographs." Lu Xiaoman was a controversial figure. Her divorce and remarriage, her relatively extravagant lifestyle, Xu Zhimo's "flight," and her survival after Zhimo's death are all focal points of controversy. Therefore, the articles selected for this book include both praise and criticism; the authors are not only her friends but also her adversaries. This is also the reason why I titled the book The Controversial Lu Xiaoman. Of course, the style of this book still adheres to my consistent principles: authenticity, comprehensiveness, and objectivity. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Lu Xiaoman's death, and the publication of this book this year aims to offer a better commemoration of her.