Life on the Edge On the Edge of Life's Edge Words of the Stone

Author: Qian Zhongshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Mr. Qian Zhongshu (1901–1998) was a renowned scholar and writer in modern China. His works, such as the widely circulated On Literature and Art, The Collected Works of Qian Zhongshu, and Fortress Besieged, have all become important academic and literary classics of the 20th century. To present a comprehensive overview of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's academic thought and literary achievements, and to facilitate readers' research and study, the Sanlian Bookstore, with the author's authorization, organized a team to edit this series of Qian Zhongshu Collected Works.
Life is said to be a great book. If life is truly like this, then most of us authors can only be considered book critics. With the skills of a critic, we needn't read even a few pages before launching into a flood of opinions, finishing a book review and submitting it. However, there is another kind of person in the world. They believe that reading is not for the purpose of writing reviews or introductions. They have the leisurely and unhurried attitude of amateur readers, browsing without haste. Whenever they have an opinion, they casually jot down a few words in the margin, draw a question mark or exclamation mark, like the marginal notes in old Chinese books or the marginalia in foreign books. These scattered remarks are not their conclusions about the entire book. Because they are written at random, they may contradict each other in sequence, or even be too harsh. They don't bother to pay attention, after all, it's just for leisure. Unlike critics, who bear the important mission of guiding readers and instructing authors, who has the ability and patience to do such things? If life is a great book, then the following essays can only be considered notes written on the edge of life. This book is truly vast! It's not easy to finish reading it in one go, and there are still many blank spaces left on the margins where it has been written.