Civilization

Author: Du Haman
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-10-01
Features: It is well-known that drama is an integrated art; however, the nature of life as an integrated art has not been fully recognized, and its comprehensive significance is more complete and broader, especially in terms of profound experience. The three works included in this book—biography, essay, and novel—differ in genre but all reveal the mysteries of life and describe various experiences through unique artistic techniques, provoking readers to contemplate and imagine. In The Adventures of Charlot, Charlot is a fictional character—the artistic creation of the film star Charlie Chaplin. Charlot is a wanderer pursuing ideals; his cane represents dignity, his mustache symbolizes pride, and a pair of worn-out boots signify the heavy burdens of the world. —An early Dadaist author wrote this biography of a fantastical figure in the style of a novel, imbued with the charm of a fairy tale. The translator introduces this character who is both laughable and heartbreaking in the "absurd era" he lived in. The perspective of The Path to Happiness may be considered by some as modest, but it is precisely the key worth tightly grasping. The shackles of reality are placed upon everyone, and all are immersed in the depths of suffering, unable to extricate themselves. We cannot encourage everyone to become revolutionaries, nor can we suppress everyone's instinct to survive and seek happiness. Then, how can we struggle to find a free and sound mind under the existing heavy burdens, to taste the fruits of life? Isn't this the pressing issue of the present? The author of Civilization is a novelist who knows that reality is never simple. Not only is greatness found in the depths of despair, but comedy also exists in tragedies. Bitter satire, fervent protest, and poignant cries cannot suppress the smile of humor. Human stupidity, eccentricity, vanity, and the whims of chance, once subjected to his sharp and biting satire, become comical and absurd in those bleak years and magnificent landscapes, as if a dance of ghosts.