Coming from the South City — A Biography of Lin Haiyin

Author: Xia Zuli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Beijing was where Lin Haiyin grew up in her childhood, spent her youth, got married and had children, and stayed until she was nearly thirty before leaving. It was also the place she cherished throughout her life. And this book, From South City Comes—A Biography of Lin Haiyin, becomes the author—Lin Haiyin's daughter's journey of introspection and root-seeking for life. Beijing was where Lin Haiyin grew up in her childhood, spent her youth, got married and had children, and stayed until she was nearly thirty before leaving. It was also the place she cherished throughout her life. And this book, From South City Comes—A Biography of Lin Haiyin, becomes the author—Lin Haiyin's daughter's journey of introspection and root-seeking for life. The greatest feature of this biography is that it is narrated in two voices throughout. One is from the perspective of a critic, using the standards of literature and history to discuss the subject's works, actions, personality, and environment, citing other literary references and presenting a well-structured argument. Interwoven in each chapter, however, is another voice: in the first-person perspective of the daughter, speaking with a natural and intimate tone, recounting the smallest details with the elegant Beijing dialect she learned from her mother, vividly portraying a mother who loves life, cherishes life, and is willing to make sacrifices.