△ Xia Zhiqing
—
Chen Zishan wrote a book for Mr. Xia
Text / Chen Zishan
This article commemorates the 101st anniversary of Xia Zhiqing's birth
△ "The Future of Literature", "Xia Zhiqing Preface",
Classical Chinese Novels, History of Modern Chinese Novels.
One day in the early winter of last year, I unexpectedly received a call from Mr. Zhang Changhua in Nanjing, asking me to compile a new collection of essays for Mr. Xia Zhiqing. I didn't have much contact with Mr. Zhang, but I knew that several of his carefully curated literary and historical books were quite distinctive. With Mr. Xia's academic achievements and reputation in the academic circles at home and abroad, "everyone's prose and literature" has his kind, of course. Besides, Mr. Zhang told me that Mr. Xia had also granted permission, so I agreed.
In recent years, "Literature of Man", "Chicken Window Collection", "The Future of Literature", "Xia Zhiqing Preface", "Chinese Classical Novels" and "History of Modern Chinese Novels" have been published in simplified characters in Chinese mainland, the academic literary circles are no longer unfamiliar with Mr. Xia Zhiqing. As a pioneer and important town in the study of modern Chinese literature overseas, Mr. Xia's masterpiece "History of Modern Chinese Novels" has long become a classic. Later commentators may disagree with some of his views and question his writings, but I am afraid that no one can deny that he insisted on his own views and never relegated to the academic existence of Ah Shi, nor could he deny the academic value of his modern view of Chinese literary history devoted to the "discovery and review of beautiful works".
Mr. Xia is a university scholar and a unique essayist. Mr. Xia's academic writings are foreign and in full compliance with the academic norms stipulated by the Western college system. The unique insights and exquisite writings of his English treatises are recognized by the Western sinology community, and he himself is proud of them. His Chinese prose is completely different, no longer bound by academic norms, but emotional, extravagant, where it should be issued, stop where it should be stopped. Mr. Lin Yiliang, who prefaced his first collection of essays, The Chicken Window Collection, summed up Mr. Xia's prose as a high synthesis of "endowment, perseverance, and learning", which is indeed a positive review. Of course, "emotion" should also be added to make it more complete and appropriate.
△ "Love, Society, Novel"
In September 1970, Mr. Xia published his first Chinese book, Love, Society, and Fiction (Taiwan Pure Literature Publishing House). Six of the ten articles in the book were translated into English. However, "Love, Society, and Novel," which is the first article in the book, is not only Mr. Xia's first Chinese article after he went to the United States, but also can be regarded as an academic essay. Another "Miscellaneous Memories of the Dead Brother Ji'an" is a famous piece of mourning text for overseas scholars, which has become popular among the population, and Mr. Xia's own explanation is that this article is "a memorial essay in nature, but Ji Ange himself is a scholar, a critic, and an important figure in Taiwan's literary circle at that time, and I think the biographical materials provided by this article are still related to modern Chinese literature" ""Love, Society, Novel Self-Introduction".
Later, Mr. Xia published "The Future of Literature" in October 1974 Taiwan Pure Literature Publishing House, "Human Literature" in April 1977 Taiwan Pure Literature Publishing House and other books have prose chapters, especially for the academic predecessors Chen Shijun, Qian Zhongshu and other nostalgia and literary affection and attracted attention. Even in June 1987, the "Documentary of Cao Yu's Visit to Ge Da- Commenting on the PekingEse" included in the "Collection of Xia Zhiqing Literary Criticism" in Taiwan United Literature Publishing House is also a long essay that attaches equal importance to "writing people, narratives, and commentaries", and in Mr. Xia's own words, this article is "a new attempt to test my writing ability" and "The Self-Introduction of "Xia Zhiqing Literary Criticism Collection".
△ Department of East Asian Studies, Columbia University, 1986.
(From left: Xia Zhiqing, Di Barry)
In October 1984, Mr. Xia's first collection of essays, "Chicken Window Collection", was published by Taiwan Jiuge Publishing House, and the commentators said that the book "let people see that the author is in addition to rigorous academic thinking, overflowing in the literary world of the erudition and childlike true feelings" "Chicken Window Collection" back cover comments. Exactly twenty-two years later, in July this year, the "Contemporary Prose Collection" series of Hong Kong Tiandi Books Company launched "On Literature and Art Memories of Teachers and Friends - Xia Zhiqing's Self-Selected Collection", and Mr. Liu Shaoming's evaluation of Mr. Xia's prose in the introduction to this book is "Mr. Xia's fast-talking nature, which can only be fully revealed in essays", "He speaks freely in his native language, and is happy to be vivid" "Xia Zhiqing's Humanistic World". Overseas scholars have also paid more and more attention to Mr. Xia's prose achievements.
Mr. Xia's prose recalls people's memories, talks about literature and art, the content is rich and colorful, and how to compile and select is quite hesitant. After consulting with Mr. Zhang Changhua, it was finally decided to compile his most touching texts about himself and Huai Shiyou, which were divided into "Fragments of Autobiography", "Sorrow of The Removal of The Years", "The World of Zhang Ailing", "Qian Zhongshu Tiandi" and "Teachers and Friends, Flowers and Trees, Hometown Moon" five series, and named the whole book after the emotional "Sorrow of the Removal of the Years".
△ "The Sorrow of the Years"
"Memories" are the main thread that runs through this "Sorrow of The Age". It's a deep memory, a sincere memory. Among them, there are memories of their own study, education and emotional experiences, memories of my brother and literary circles, memories of famous or unknown scholars who have passed away, and memories of the daily life of overseas Chinese, and so on. Mr. Xia depicts for us a long historical scroll commemorating the past and recounting friendship, showing Mr. Xia's deep and energetic prose style, which is like a pearl of witty words, the so-called "letter mianmiao in the ruler, spitting out the heart." Words are magnificent and extensive, and thinking is more profound than it is" (Lu Ji's "Wen Fu") is also.
Therefore, in a sense, Mr. Xia's "Sorrow of the Removal of The Years" is a true record of how overseas Chinese scholars have pursued themselves in the collision of Chinese and Western cultures and the agitation of left and right ideological trends for half a century, which is worthy of our serious understanding.
△ Xia Zhiqing and his wife (Photo/ World Journal reporter Xu Zhenhui)
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About the Author
Chen Zishan
Professor of the Department of Chinese of East China Normal University, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Modern Chinese.