In the North, by Zhang Huiwen, Beijing October Literature and Art Publishing House, June 2023
When I read Zhang Huiwen's novel for the first time, I was very surprised that there were people in the younger generation of writers who wrote so pure and classic. "In the North" is set in New England, and most of the characters are Chinese, and they write about their uneventful daily lives, often with only two or three people, but I read it with horror. The author has obviously studied short stories, from which you can not only read the universal subtleties of human nature, but also feel the unending power of the novel's history to this day. I particularly like "Snow Comes from the South" and "Judy," the former of which is about psychology to the point of "wordless brokenness", and "Judy", which is perfect in terms of the structure and narrative of the short story. Moreover, Zhang Huiwen is a writer who writes in modern Chinese, but in modern Chinese she writes the purity and texture of a modern novel that can only be radiated in the best translated novels.
"The Glory of the Orange Tree", by Zhu Qinghe, Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House, January 2023
One of my three favorite poets among the post-70s poets, it is the closest to my heart among the three poets. Zhu Qinghe's poems are compassionate, but they are by no means a literary feeling, but are really related to the author's real-life experience. "The Glory of the Orange Tree" is a masterful linguistic skill, almost intangible, all embodied in the things and things that the heart feels. A kind of monologue or earnest conversation. You can feel the importance of poetry writing for Zhu Qinghe. Without these poems, it is difficult to avoid sinking in life, and with these poems, salvation or liberation is also glorified in modern Chinese. The poet has been writing for nearly 30 years, and it was not until he was 50 years old that he had this officially published book of poems.
Snow Spring and Autumn, by Zheng Zaihuan, Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House/Single Reading, September 2023
Zheng Jae-hwan has been referred to as a "wild writer", and if that term refers to an unfettered talent for writing, I fully agree. "Snow Spring and Autumn" is Zheng Zaihuan's first novel, which writes about the growth history of three women born in the countryside for 30 years. Urban and rural, era, change, and women can be said to be a magnificent epic of contemporary real life, but it does not have the complexity and unsatisfactory words of the concept of "epic". Coming from the bottom and having worked in all kinds of production and manual labor, Zheng Zaihuan, like a writer like Gorky, combines experience with great literary talent to create enviable masterpieces of solidity, richness, and fantasy. Compared with his short and medium stories, the tenderness and openness generated by sympathy or empathy are also impressive.
"Once Upon a Time in Duck Town", by Cao Kou, Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, March 2023
Cao Kou is the most unruly novelist active in the last decade. As I said, Cao Kou is a "master" of short story writing. I originally wanted to say "master", but because I was close to Cao Kou, I was afraid that others would think that they were praising each other, and "master" was a guaranteed description that was downgraded to the bottom line. The chapters in "Once Upon a Time in Ducktown" are all set in Ducktown, and there is no actual connection between each novel. The length is all short (except for two novellas), but all of them retain the special and tenacious structure of short stories, which seem casual and casual, but the artistic conception is far-reaching. "Once Upon a Time in Duck Town" is like a cracked mirror of today's rural life, sharp, flickering, and scattered, but no matter how it is broken, each fragment reflects the overall appearance of the countryside and even this era.
"The Bold Use of Green", by Tan Bo, Shanghai Joint Publishing / Ideal Country, October 2023
Following "Catch the Cat in Heat", another important collection of Tan Bo's novels is grandly launched. At this point, Tan Bo has finally made a name for himself in the fiction writing circle, but I think it is not enough to bring his art of fiction to those who are really willing to read good novels. Tan Bo is 60 years old this year, has been writing for more than 30 years, specializing in short stories, but he has only written 500,000 or 600,000 words. When he was young and in the prime of life, he was not treated well by mainstream publishers because of his short writing, and he has accumulated it to this day, and such a rich accumulation can be described as a "big meal". Tan Bo's novels will never go out of style, they are real masterpieces of fiction art, and Tan Bo's own writing posture is also a benchmark for "latecomers".
Han Dong (novelist, poet)
Editor-in-charge: Xing Renyan