Introduction to the Creation of Chinese Prose Poetry

Author: Ke Lan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: After two chapters of An Introduction to the Creation of Chinese Prose Poetry were selected and published in this journal in 2001, they received an enthusiastic response. Readers wrote to request the continuation of the book manuscript's publication and suggested that it be released as soon as possible to meet demand. With the author's consent, we are publishing the entire book in this combined issue, allowing readers to read and study it comprehensively. This also represents a contribution from this journal to the theoretical research of Chinese prose poetry. An Introduction to the Creation of Chinese Prose Poetry is the only systematic theoretical book in both China and abroad that elaborates on the study of Chinese prose poetry creation. Currently, only three such theoretical books have been published in China, but none of them have combined creative practice with theoretical research or conducted systematic theoretical analysis from a theoretical perspective. This book fills this gap.
Author Ke Lan is a prominent figure in contemporary Chinese prose poetry. He has been engaged in the creation and research of prose poetry for over fifty years, served as the president of the Chinese Prose Poetry Association for nineteen years, edited the Prose Poetry newspaper for nearly three years, and served as the editor-in-chief of the Chinese Prose Poetry journal for four years. He currently serves as the president and editor-in-chief of the Chinese Prose Poetry journal (Hong Kong). After his prose poetry collection Early Dawn and Short Flutes became a sensation in the 1950s, he pioneered new forms of prose poetry, such as "group prose poetry," "theme-based prose poetry," and "political commentary-style prose poetry," expanding the subject matter of prose poetry and covering various aspects of life. These works entered the hotspots of social life, resonated with the main melody of society, and strengthened the breadth and depth of prose poetry. He is not only a prose poetry writer and theorist but also a key organizer of the Chinese prose poetry movement. During his tenure as president of the Chinese Prose Poetry Association, he organized various prose poetry creation training programs and poet gatherings, nurturing a large number of amateur prose poetry writers and guiding them toward success, forming a creative team of Chinese prose poetry that combines the elderly, middle-aged, and young.
This book is a summary of his fifty years of experience in prose poetry creation and a crystallization of his efforts in the Chinese prose poetry movement (including training programs and editorial work in various publications). This combination is extremely rare because many theorists do not engage in creative writing. Therefore, his theoretical views on prose poetry carry significant practical guidance. Ke Lan's theoretical perspectives on prose poetry are derived from his own creative practices and elevated into systematic theories. To highlight this feature, all examples used in the book to illustrate theoretical viewpoints are his own works. As he states in the preface, he formed some theoretical viewpoints by citing his own works. This not only facilitates argumentation but also adds a sense of authenticity to the analysis, which is seldom seen in general "introductions" or creative works.
Since Chinese prose poetry has a relatively short history and is still in its youth, with a thin historical foundation, given Ke Lan's unique status and contributions to the Chinese prose poetry movement, using his personal experiences as the main thread to record and narrate the development of Chinese prose poetry creation and compile an introduction may be the best approach under current circumstances. We introduce this feature to everyone and extend our deepest respect to Mr. Ke Lan, who has dedicated half his life to Chinese prose poetry and made unique achievements.