Interview with Zhang Shenfu

Author: (USA) Shu Hengzhe / Li Shaoming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-03-01
Features: The authors of this book write about a real and comprehensive "human being." This is also the wish of Zhang Shenfu. The writing style of this book is full of "side branches," even giving the impression of being scattered and interwoven. The authors "prefer to tightly hold onto scattered clues" to enter the maze of history. The chapters do not strictly follow chronological order; they are roughly divided into Zhang's early years, emotional experiences, political activities, academic thoughts, later life, and old age, and the materials are then gathered and interwoven. The content is just like Zhang's conversation style, "as if his life was torn apart by history, with no central focus," and just like Zhang's life and writing, which are composed of "fragments and wholes"—it "is not a standard historical work, nor a traditional biography, but rather reflects Zhang Shenfu's life through winding dialogues and comparisons. This book does not have a central theme or idea; it is a network of many small stories, layer by layer and page by page, surrounding its subject at the center. The authors allow readers to independently savor, judge, and reassemble the fragments of the stories."