New World Analects

Author: Lu Chunxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The essay form has strayed far from life, merely catering to news—it is indeed a problem worth solving. A true essayist should be sensitive, adept at discovering battlegrounds and truths in life experiences. The "Closet Essays" in this book, such as "Discovered a Money-Seeking Website" and "Fan Changjiang Was a Pantomime Actor?" originate from life. These pieces are so vivid, differing greatly from the current wave of trendy commentaries. Life is the very source of essay writing, yet many authors today seem to be "losing touch with life" or "not living." A former air force pilot-turned-essayist recently shared the story of how his first essay came to be, leaving me deeply moved. Back then, the author had no idea what an "essay" was, yet the material was an excellent subject for an essay: On May Fourth Youth Day, the unit where he served held a joint celebration with female workers from a textile factory. After the lengthy speech by the political commissar, he announced the dance etiquette: "Men with men, women with women." The dance turned into a complete spiritual torment, with everyone longing for it to end. Many great essays are not "written" by essayists but flow from the hearts of non-essayists—such as the excellent online essays signed "Anonymous" today. Therefore, those of us already labeled as essayists must strive, or else we may face the fate of "the wave of the Yangtze River pushing the previous wave ashore, leaving the previous wave stranded."