Complete Works of Ba Jin (Volume 26)

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Many have attacked Ba Jin, both in the past and now, but his significance in the history of modern Chinese culture is indeed irreplaceable by others. The newly compiled Complete Works of Ba Jin have been published intermittently since 1986, collecting various types of works by the author over more than sixty years, excluding translations. His works have been translated into multiple foreign languages and published. Ba Jin is most renowned for his novelistic creations, particularly those drawing from the collapse of old families and the rebellious spirit of the younger generation. Family is his most successful and influential representative work, stirring the hearts of generations of young readers and establishing his important position in the history of modern literature. He excels at pouring out the torrent of his emotions through engaging narration and sincere,, with a delicate and insightful style, possessing a unique artistic power that moves people. Ba Jin, originally named Li Yaotang, styled himself Fugan, and used pen names such as Peigan, Yuyi, and Wang Wenhui. He was from Chengdu, Sichuan. In early 1927, he went to France for studies and wrote his first novel, The Dusk, under the pen name Ba Jin. By the end of 1928, he returned to Shanghai and engaged in writing and translation. From 1929 to 1937, he wrote the Family in the Three Novels of Turbulent Currents, as well as The Sea Dream, Autumn in Spring, The Sand Miner, Germination (Snow), Rebirth, and the Three Novels of Love (Fog, Rain, Light). He also published short story collections such as Revenge, The General, and God, Ghost, and Man, as well as prose collections like Notes from a Sea Journey, Reminiscences, and Short Letters. With his unique style and prolific creations, he attracted attention and was hailed by Lu Xun as "a passionate and progressive writer, among the few counted as outstanding authors." After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, he devoted himself to anti-Japanese and cultural activities in various places, editing publications such as Roar and The Salvation Daily, and wrote the sequels to Family—Spring and Autumn, as well as the novel Three Novels of War (also known as Fire). He also published short story collections like The Return of the Soul and Small People and Small Matters, and prose collections such as Accusation and Dragon, Tiger, Dog. In the later stages of the war and after its end, Ba Jin shifted his focus to critiquing the dark realities of the occupied areas, delivering powerful accusations and critiques against the collapsing old system. His mid-length novels The Restful Garden and The Fourth Ward and his long novel A Night in Winter are notable works in this regard. This Complete Works collects all types of works by the author over more than sixty years, excluding translations, and is organized chronologically by genre.