Modern Prose - Selected Prose of Shi Zhecun

Author: Shi Zhecun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features:
[Shi Zhecun] (1905–) Modern writer and literary translator. Original name Shi Qingping, pen names include Anhua, Li Wanhe, etc. Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. At the age of eight, he moved with his family to Songjiang, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai). During his middle school years, he enjoyed reading Tang poetry and wrote classical verse. In 1922, he entered Hangzhou Zhejiang University and the following year joined Shanghai University, where he began literary activities and creative work. In 1926, he transferred to the French Special Class at Tsinghua University and, together with classmates Dai Wangshu, Liu Naoou, and others, founded the magazine Ying Luo (Jade Net). In 1927, he returned to Songjiang to teach at a middle school. From 1928, he worked as an editor at Shanghai Xian Bookstore and Shuimo Bookstore, participating in the editing of magazines such as The Untracked Train and New Literature.
Starting in 1932, he served as the chief editor of the major literary monthly Modern, becoming a professional literary figure. In 1935, he was hired by Shanghai Magazine Company to co-edit the Treasures of Chinese Literature series with Ai Ying. From 1937, he held teaching positions as an associate professor and professor at universities in Yunnan, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Shanghai, with a brief stay in Hong Kong. After the 1952 reorganization of academic institutions, he remained a professor at the Chinese Department of East China Normal University and joined the Chinese Writers' Association.
Before 1937, in addition to his editorial work, he primarily wrote short stories, poetry, and translated foreign literature. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he focused on writing essays. Between 1950 and 1958, he translated over 2 million words of foreign literary works. After 1958, he dedicated himself to the study of classical literature and inscribed artifacts. His published short story collections include The Lantern Festival, The Head of a General, Li Shishi, Evening in the Rain, The Virtuous Woman, and The Little Collection, as well as essay collections like Collected Essays Under the Lamp and Waiting for Dawn. He also published numerous academic works and translations.
Shi Zhecun is renowned for his psychological analysis novels, with representative works such as Evening in the Rain and Spring Sunshine. He meticulously depicts the flow of subjective consciousness and the changes in psychological emotions,ing novelty and integrating subjective perception into the description of objects. His works employ a rapid pace to portray the pathological urban life, making him one of the key figures of China's "New Sensory School."
Shi Zhecun's essays are simple yet profound—simple in their essence but imbued with a subtlety born from extreme brilliance that ultimately returns to purity. While his essays may lack widely celebrated masterpieces, they are far from lacking in quality, ranking as fine works in the realm of modern essays. A careful and thoughtful reading will reveal their inexhaustible depth, and more importantly, allow readers to rediscover a knowledgeable and erudite writer through his words.