Lao She's novels and essays

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 novels such as The Philosophy of Lao Zhang and The Two Horses. His formal foray into short story writing started relatively late, in the 1930s. This period marked the beginning of showcasing Lao She's profound artistic talent and the essence of his creative spirit. Lao She's essays are even more natural and sincere compared to his novels, allowing his inner thoughts to be laid bare before us. His essays are not（deliberately）crafted with techniques; they are simply the author speaking from his inner feelings. Or, one could say Lao She did not consider them as "writing 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 perspective on appreciating and interpreting certain emotions of life. For example, Thinking of Beijing reflects Lao She's love for Beijing, perhaps offering us an opportunity to further appreciate and interpret the life of this Beijinger. "To observe life, to appreciate life, to 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's spirit but may also be a key to understanding the works of all great writers.