Home>News Center>Life
             
     

    Nation searches for its novel soul
    (China Daily)
    Updated: 2005-05-10 16:35

    Some people say literature is not likely to change much in the space of a year, and that it takes at least five or 10 years to trace any difference in literary trends.


    The books "Valley of Destiny" , "We Are Not the Same Human Beings" and "Sky of History" are among the best novels of 2004. [China Daily]

    But, the surface of today's literature is almost as busy, fast-changing and complicated as today's life, consequently it is not easy to survey the literary output of even a single year.

    Currently around 1,000 or so novels are published annually. But at the same time it is also true that only about 30 make an impact with the reading public.

    And the figure of 1,000 does not include the numerous novels released on the Internet. According to the Tencent website, within a year of its launching a national Internet novel competition at the beginning of 2004, over 3,800 were pasted on its website.

    In my view, the novel as a style has changed greatly. It is no longer defined by epic narration, but has become rather more free and casual. Readable stories, personal memory, spiritual experience, reports of real events and lengthy prose can all be categorized as novels now.

    At the same time, the authors of novels have also changed considerably. Many newcomers are trying to write, including teenagers. Furthermore, the popularization of the Internet has provided a material premise for the huge increase of novels.

    Of course, I still employ the traditional way of observing and studying novels, and the works selected by Novel Review are mostly novels in the traditional sense.

    Maybe because of the overwhelming globalization and dominance of trendy and sensual writings, I have high regard for works of spiritual exploration.

    Jiang Rong's "The Totem of the Wolf" seems to deviate somewhat from what we commonly consider a novel, for it integrates several forms and blurs the border between fiction and non-fiction. However, it attracts the reader with its raw style.

    Through one after another violent tale of how people deal with wolves on the steppes of Inner Mongolia, the novel's message seems, on one level, to be that "you have to be tougher than the wolf if you want to live on the steppes," but underlying this is an examination of the national psyche.

    Why do people lack courage and rectitude? Why do people seem to be weak? Obviously these questions have long haunted the author, so he brings along the wolf. Just as people appeal to religion, rural life or historical figures, "The Totem of the Wolf" is also a symbol for idealism.

    Realistic works

    "Government Officials" concerns reality, politics and the lives of people from the lower strata of society in an urban setting. The author Zhang Ping exposes the formation of a group with vested interests, their alliance with the patriarchal clan culture, and how they intensify social conflicts and block the development of democracy. Unlike many superficial works of the same theme, "Government Officials" is politically and culturally insightful.

    Rural life remains an important theme among novelists. Yan Lianke's "Suffering" depicts a disadvantaged group in the countryside, about whom the author has much knowledge and sympathy.

    Yan is not satisfied with what one finds on the surface of rural life, but tries to explore the people's spiritual reality, to which end he sometimes draws on absurd plots. To combine the most indigenous with the most modern is perhaps what he is pursuing.

    Yan says that he "writes because of fear," and he writes about "farmers' fears," but his miserable images often break through the last border of aestheticism. This "aesthetics of miserableness" is a subject that needs further study.

    In parallel with the rural theme, the spiritual predicament, ethical concerns, and tragedies and comedies of the loves of urban people make for another broad stage for literature.

    "Blue Fox" displays Wang Meng's thorough understanding of the spiritual condition of Chinese intellectuals over the last 20 years. Ning Ken's "Gate of Silence" looks at the thought-provoking "symptoms" of a "psychopath."

    The conflict between men and women remains one of the most enduring in literature. Wang Hailing's "The Chinese-style Divorce" - which ran as a successful television series - probes the irrational and subconscious aspects of the man-woman relationship, misplaced values, and the nausea of everyday life. But the transition between the two languages of the television play and novel is a problem which the author has not fully resolved.

    Henan Province's woman writer Qiao Ye's "I Really Love You" is about twin sisters who left the countryside swept up in the wave of urbanization, only to find themselves forced into prostitution in the city. In the miserable circumstances they find themselves, they turn from resistance to indifference. The author does not try to exhibit human desire, but writes in a rather understated way, which cries out the tragedy of their lives.

    Other memorable novels of 2004 include Ge Fei's "Face like a Peach Blossom," Dong Libo's "Fragrance of the Rice" and Hai Yan's "River Runs like Blood."

    Three stand out

    Looking back on the novels of 2004, we find that many writers still lack a general grasp and sense of observation of our times, society and its spiritual situation. Today's novels are generally lacking in terms of their ability to express the courage required to face reality and philosophical meaning. But three books may be considered the exception and are among the best of 2004.

    Wu Jun's "We Are Not the Same Human Beings," published by the Shenzhen Writers Press, portrays the lives of those in "Grey Dirt Street." Located somewhere in the country's far northeast, its characters are not locals, but people who have drifted there from Shandong Province.

    The author tries to present the lives of grassroots people through the stories of those on the move since the 1970s. The novel tells about a number of characters, but the most important is the street itself, a metaphor for circumstances that are above people.

    Through its fragmented narration, the author provides a personal and folk account of a group of people. She knows them well because she herself is one of the inhabitants of "Grey Dirt Street."

    We read of how the people in the street like to shout abuse. None have ever been to university, but many have made it into prison. If even one day passes when no one is found pounding and breaking things, no one is fighting and or being menaced with death, or no one hits their children, "Grey Dirt Street" would no longer be.

    When the consumer economy started, the people of "Grey Dirt Street" began to go into business. Through what changes and what remains, the author explores the dark side of human nature and how difficult it is to change.

    Wen Lan's "Valley of Destiny," published by the Shanghai Literature and Art Press, is a work the author revised and rewrote for more than 20 years. In it Wen pours his unforgettable personal experiences and a part of social, political life that was closely related to his youth and love.

    It has been nearly 30 years since the end of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), however, we do not seem to have many good works concerning this bitter period, one which touched the whole nation.

    The value of "Valley of Destiny" is just that. It reproduces the social and humanistic life of a small town in the west from the 1950s to 1970s, and provides a first-hand account of the spiritual lives of the peasants, military, cadres and intellectuals there.

    The author's successful portrayal of the protagonists is powerful. Ge Donghong's blind faith in revolution and spiritual numbness is shocking, but real. The timid and inconsistent character of another protagonist, Cai Wenruo, discloses the very inhumanity of the time.

    In some sense, "Valley of Destiny" is a written confession of not only Cai, but the author himself. Though I do not appreciate the author's detective-style beginning, "Valley of Destiny" is a book which shakes the apathy and forgetfulness of our nation.

    Xu Guixiang's "Sky of History" is an outstanding novel about army life in recent years. It became even more famous after being adapted for the small screen.

    The outstanding part of the novel lies mainly in its treatment of the relationship between history and individual characters. We have seen many novels with this theme with clear-cut clues, but symbolic characters who seem to function only as some negative and passive tools for the interpretation of historical rules. In "Sky of History," the lives of the characters are filled with dramatic changes, with wrong decisions at every turn.

    The author does not exaggerate casual factors, but rather interprets from a new angle people's destiny when caught up in war and politics, and their confusion over the reality in which they find themselves. The book is not only about people in history, but also about the history of humankind.

    With its various vivid characters, scenes that sound both familiar and strange, and its structure through time and space, "Sky of History" inspires the reader to ponder on both history and life.

    Since the 20th century, the Chinese nation has experienced many disasters, and modern Chinese literature has followed a winding path.

    In this new era, with the nourishment of world literature and modern art, Chinese literature has made great achievements. And as an important genre of literature, Chinese novels have also developed considerably.

    However, on the level of reshaping the national soul, and in regard to possessing the deep human content displayed by world literature, our novels are still not mature and deep enough. We have seen too much commercialization in writing.

    This is not to be wholly criticized, but it should be, at most, just one of the dimensions of literature. What we hope to see, are novels that give a strong expression of the lives and development of the Chinese nation.



    Miss Universe 2005 to be held May 30
    President J.Lo?
    Chow Yun-fat promotes for the Red Cross
      Today's Top News     Top Life News
     

    Most Japanese say shrine visits should stop

     

       
     

    Forum brings opportunity to knock

     

       
     

    President Hu meets Chirac, Putin in Moscow

     

       
     

    Hometown gives Soong a heroic welcome

     

       
     

    Police on alert ahead of China-Japan match

     

       
     

    RMB speculation fails to materialize

     

       
      Nation searches for its novel soul
       
      Gadget promises to translate baby babbling
       
      Candy-stealing boys stripped of clothes
       
      Tiger eager to meet his new mate
       
      Man jailed for trading son for lottery
       
      Shanghai is over-exposed
       
     
      Go to Another Section  
     
     
      Story Tools  
       
      Feature  
      1/3 Chinese youth condone premarital sex  
    Advertisement
             
    精品久久亚洲中文无码| 91精品国产综合久久四虎久久无码一级| 亚洲∧v久久久无码精品| 天天爽亚洲中文字幕| 亚洲av无码片在线播放| 日韩区欧美区中文字幕| 免费无码黄十八禁网站在线观看 | 无码人妻精品一区二区三 | 最近中文字幕完整免费视频ww| 18禁黄无码高潮喷水乱伦| 一本色道无码不卡在线观看| 熟妇人妻不卡中文字幕| 久久综合一区二区无码| 岛国无码av不卡一区二区| 天堂√最新版中文在线天堂| 中文无码熟妇人妻AV在线| 无码囯产精品一区二区免费| 欧美日韩毛片熟妇有码无码| xx中文字幕乱偷avxx| 久久青青草原亚洲av无码| 精品亚洲AV无码一区二区三区| 中文精品久久久久人妻不卡| 五月天无码在线观看| 久久久久亚洲AV无码网站| 成在人线av无码免费高潮喷水 | 亚洲av无码专区在线观看下载| 久久久久久久亚洲Av无码| 亚洲AV永久纯肉无码精品动漫| 精品欧洲av无码一区二区14| 69堂人成无码免费视频果冻传媒 | 国产成人三级经典中文| 无码AV大香线蕉| 亚洲免费日韩无码系列 | 波多野结衣AV无码| 无码精品国产一区二区三区免费| 亚洲av中文无码乱人伦在线r▽| 中文字幕无码播放免费| 中文字幕一区二区三区在线观看 | 亚洲无码高清在线观看| 亚洲成?v人片天堂网无码| 91精品久久久久久无码|