Shen Congwen’s Letters in A Public Space

From Lu Xun's house in Beijing.

This is why I love A Public Space. They’ve been doing some wonderful things with international literature lately, and this is yet another.

Interest in early to mid twentieth century Chinese writers is low here in the West, and with some reason; it’s very difficult to find translations of any but the most well-known writers from this period, like Lu Xun or Lao She. Writers like Shen Congwen, sort of the Asian Faulkner, are virtually unknown here.  When I was in Beijing, it was heartbreaking to see how many writers’ works were available at bookstores there, in Chinese, of course.

A Public Space has published translations of Chinese writer Shen Congwen’s letters in its latest issue.  I’m hoping that more translations like these, along with articles, books, etc, will engender more Western interest in (and more translations of) Chinese writers both past and present.

If anyone’s interested in learning more about Shen Congwen and other Chinese writers, activists, revolutionaries, and dissidents throughout the twentieth century,  a great place to start is Jonathan Spence’s The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution 1895-1980.