2006- China Short Story Annual Selection

Author: Xie Youshun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features:
2006 is about to draw to a close. To review the literary landscape of that year and the discourse exchanges that occurred between the intellectual and literary circles would undoubtedly be one of the indispensable significant events. Speaking of this, I know that many writers will use the excuse, "writing is a personal matter," to avoid the basic responsibilities that writing entails. "Writing is a personal matter" was originally a good saying, but today it has become an excuse for writers to indulge themselves. A personal matter, if not connected to a broader and deeper spiritual space, is of negligible value. Writing is personal, but as a spiritual endeavor, it is also speaking to the public world. These two aspects are not contradictory. Especially in contemporary China, suffering and tears are so prevalent, and the forces of evil are still so powerful. In the face of these, if writers and literary critics remain generally silent and refuse to take on the responsibility of writing in the hearts of individuals, such writing will indeed be difficult to earn respect. It is precisely with this literary perspective that I compiled the 2006 China Short Story Anthology. I believe that most of the stories in this collection show us the honesty and conviction of a writer, as well as their basic courage in the face of their own living conditions. Such voices may be small and insignificant, but they are worth us listening to seriously, because literature in this era has indeed reached a time when it needs to clarify its direction and boundaries.