In commemoration of the 105th anniversary of her birth and the 30th anniversary of her passing
Her novella The Golden Cangue, acclaimed by C. T. Hsia—the late Emeritus Professor of Chinese Literature at Columbia University—as “the greatest novella in Chinese literature,” establishes Eileen Chang (1920–1995) as the most celebrated and imitated writer of 20th-century China. Called “a unique phenomenon” by Renditions magazine, her life and her personality are legendary to millions of her readers. Born into a family of uncommon distinction, Eileen Chang’s later years of self-imposed solitary and Spartan existence and her lonely death made headlines for weeks in and out of China and Taiwan.
Eileen Chang’s writing brilliantly blends the classical and modern vernacular traditions of the Chinese language. An unusually keen and dispassionate observer of the hauntedness of the human heart, she tells in her stories rich dramas that capture the dark, and often terrifying, corners in the crippled minds of her characters, most of whom are pathetic misfits in a quickly changing time and world that seems mercilessly arrayed against them. Readers of Eileen Chang’s works often find themselves absorbing modern Chinese literature at its most profound, while also gaining insight into the deep contradictions and absurdities of a people caught in mental turmoil, as well as the sweeping historical and social changes of modern China.
To commemorate the 105th anniversary of Eileen Chang’s birth and the 30th anniversary of her passing, the Renwen Society presents a special lecture on October 11 by Mr. Ben Wang, highlighting Eileen Chang’s profound contributions to modern Chinese literary history. Join us on this memorable occasion!
七十年前 （1955）胡適先生（1891-1962）讀了張愛玲的《秧歌》，寫下以下評述：
此書從頭到尾，寫的都是“飢餓”—書名大可以题作《餓》字–寫的真细微，忠厚，可以説是寫到了“平淡而近自然”的境界。近年我讀的中國文藝作品，此書當然是最好的了。 適之 一九五五.一.廿五
這是對於《秧歌》最有力，最經典的書評。這麽多年以後的今天，重讀《秧歌》，還是觉得評論到味, 中的。
對熟悉張愛玲（1920-1995）作品的讀者来説，她創造的故事，人物等等，都反映了如她所寫的：“生命是一襲華美的袍子，上面爬满了虱子”。 （《我的天才夢》 1939），一切悲歡離合，讀起来都好像是在夢魘里，而且是一場陳舊，古老，不安的過去，人們都寜可忘却而忘却不了的夢魘，裡面塵灰蒙蒙，也不是眼涙，也不是歡笑，在那些一針見血，不留情的嘲諷背后，有的是憐憫，無奈，有的是惘然，是“荒凉”–她最喜歡用的一詞。這就是張愛玲的世界。
《秧歌》，如胡適先生所言，是一本寫出郷土生活，中國過去農民們在艱難困苦中挣扎的寫實作品，在輪廓上雖與張愛玲别的小説似乎存有相當当大的差异，而對人性，生死，都與其他代表作一様，有着震撼人心的描繪，不朽的文學價值與地位。
為紀念張愛玲逝世三十週年，紐約華美人文學會於美東時間10月11日晚8時至9時半（北京時間10月12日早8時至9時半）特邀約汪班先生舉辦有闗張愛玲在中國文學史上極大貢獻的専題講座，題目是《為张愛玲“秧歌”中“奇文”喝彩！》。敬请光临!
