Fascination of China
Modern literature
Lu Xun 鲁迅 (1881-1936)
Satirical pioneering spirit
Lu Xun was a Chinese writer, thinker, and revolutionist. He devoted himself to literary writing, hoping to improve the national soul by his pen. His works include satirical and literary essays, short stories, reviews, and translations. After the May Fourth Movement, he profoundly influenced Chinese literature and society. His works analyze the character of the Chinese nation and reflect socialist ideals.
Lu Xun's most famous works are:
"A Madman's Diary"
"The True Story of Ah Q"
"Kong Yiji"
Ba Jin 巴金 (1904-2005)
The artistic power of humanism
Ba Jin was a modern day writer, publisher, and translator. He is considered as one of the most influential writers in China since the May Fourth Movement.
By this means, he significantly influenced modern and contemporary chinese literature.
His works are characterized by their concise language and reflect Ba Jin's strong sense of humanism.
His works include:
The novel trilogy "Heftige Strömung"
"The Family"
"Spring"
"Autumn"
Lao She 老舍 (1899-1966)
Chinese "folk artist"
Lao She was an important writer, playwright, artist and linguist in modern China.
He was the first writer to obtain the title of "People's Artist" in the People's Republic of China. Lao She's works are characterisized by his simple, humorous and satirical language.
Lao She portrayed the life and fate of the poor in the city and reflected the atmosphere of Beijing.
Lao She's works include:
Stage plays "Teahouse"
Novels
"Rickshaw Boy"
"Four Generations under One Roof"
Chinese contemporary literature
What does contemporary Chinese literature mean? During the Mao era from 1949-1976, the People's Republic of China broke with Western classical modernism. The country was shaped by the primacy of politics and socialist realism, which resulted in a monoculture. This changed at the end of 1976 with the opening of the mind, outside influences and translation work. From the 1980s, pluralism, individualization and differentiation within society determined the system of the People's Republic. After 1989 and the Tiananmen massacre, there was a noticeable alienation from political power. Since then it has been the goal of the authors to use literature as an instrument to save the fatherland. Authors appear on the one hand as "teachers of the nation", on the other hand, however, they are government employees who, as tools of politics, are able to exercise spiritual power. Contemporary Chinese literature has many categories, which can be grouped into 3 main categories: mass literature, pure literature, and serious literature. Mass literature comprises the bulk of contemporary literature. In pure literature, form takes precedence over content. This type of literature is rarely found in China. Representative authors in this category include Yan Lianke and Can Xue. Serious literature falls between the two aforementioned categories as it is of interest to both the masses and small "picky" groups. The literary endeavor of serious literature combines modernity and tradition. Most of the famous writers can be found in this category of literature. They include Wang Anyi, Jia Pingwa, Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Wang Meng, Li Rui, Su Tong and Zhang Yueran. Some of these writers tend towards the modern in literary endeavors, others towards the traditional.
Mo Yan Mo Yan (1955-)
After decades of intense literary development, China has witnessed a cadre of talented novelists. Undaunted by a succession of political and economic upheavals, these writers receive a great deal of attention as they busily recycle the old to produce new. Mo Yan is a name that stands in the midst of this wave of creativity. Through his nativist stories during the early 1980s, he is referred to as a "root-seeking" writer of avant-garde literature. The author's attitude is already reflected in his pseudonym, Mo Yan, which translates as "the speechless". Mo Yan says that this name, in ironic reversal, means "rather to die than to be silent". In this sense, in a time marked by amnesia, he does not stop writing books that explore the past. The themes that Mo Yan takes up in his works are of a deep social and socially critical character. In his works he transforms history into myth and fact into fiction. His literary expression includes metaphors and satire in particular. Through this he creates a distance and transcendence from politics. Nevertheless, Mo Yan personally responds almost without exception to his literary utterances with silence, and lets his works speak for themselves. Some intellectuals therefore criticize Mo Yan's lack of dissidence.