Lao She's Novels and Essays -- Classic Reading for Students

Author: Lao She
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Lao She is a highly unique figure among modern Chinese writers. Unlike many other writers who began with short stories or essays, Lao She gained fame primarily through his novels such as The Philosophy of Lao Zhang and The Two Horses. His serious work in short fiction started relatively late, in the 1930s. This period was particularly significant in showcasing Lao She's profound artistic talent and the essence of his creative spirit. Lao She's essays, compared to his novels, appear more natural and spontaneous. This allows his inner thoughts to be laid bare before us. His essays are not (deliberately) crafted with techniques; they are simply the author's genuine voice, speaking from the heart. Or one could say Lao She did not consider them as "works." Thus, we can understand why Lao She "explicitly stated that he did not want anyone to collect, organize, or edit his essays," including his humorous writings. There are also many essays in Lao She's works that seem unrelated to life, which could be seen as his subtle perspective on perceiving and interpreting certain emotions of life. For example, Thinking of Beiping reflects Lao She's love for Beiping, perhaps offering us a deeper opportunity to understand and interpret the life of this Beiping native. "To observe life, appreciate life, and interpret life—only then does your work truly come alive. To see, to see is to awaken the resonance of the soul, and this resonance is the voice of life." This is not only the key to understanding the essence of Lao She but may also be the key to understanding all great writers and their masterpieces.