Fifty Years in Literature

Author: Cao Juren
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Mr. Cao Juren had interactions with many renowned scholars of the 20th-century Chinese literary world. This book authentically and vividly records some important figures and events in the contemporary literary scene. These literary anecdotes are undoubtedly invaluable materials for studying the history of modern Chinese literature. Hu Shi became the mentor of the New Culture Movement, which was beneficial for this movement, as he consistently appealed to reason rather than to fervent emotions. Like Hu Shi, Lu Xun appealed to calm reason. Lu Xun's literary prowess was higher than Hu Shi's, and his influence on the younger generation was broader than Hu Shi's. However, Lu Xun's writing style was more difficult to learn than Hu Shi's. Zhou and Hu were not, as some imagined, completely incompatible; they were both pioneers of New Youth, and they respected each other academically. Fifty Years of Literary World is a memoir-style book, similar to Mei Lanfang's Forty Years of Stage Life. Centered around the lives of my teachers and friends, I merely stand as an isolated spectator in a corner of the literary world from the perspective of a historian. Fifty Years of Literary World is a memoir-style work by the late renowned Chinese journalist and writer Cao Juren. Initially published in the mid-1950s by the Xinhua Cultural Publishing House in Hong Kong, due to limited print runs and distribution at the time, few readers in mainland China were familiar with it. This has been over 40 years since then. With the consent of the author's eldest daughter, Cao Lei, and her authorization, this book is being published in mainland China for the first time by Dongfang Publishing House. Mr. Cao Juren had interactions with many renowned scholars of the 20th-century Chinese literary world, and this book authentically and vividly records some important figures and events in the contemporary literary scene. These literary anecdotes are undoubtedly invaluable materials for studying the history of modern Chinese literature. This is also one of the reasons why we are republishing this book today. During the compilation of this work, we found that the original book contained several omissions. For this publication, we have conducted careful proofreading, but in some places, to preserve the original appearance of the book, we have only added notes to indicate corrections. Additionally, the original book was divided into two parts, "Main" and "Continuation," but for the convenience of readers, this publication combines the two parts into one. This is to be noted.