Ba Jin

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Ba Jin in 1938

Li Yaotang (Simplified Chinese: 李尧棠, Styled Feigan; 芾甘) (November 25, 1904 – October 17, 2005) is considered to be one of the most important and widely-read Chinese writers of the twentieth century. He wrote under the pen name of Ba Jin (巴金, also Pa Chin), taking his pseudonym from Russian anarchists Bakunin and Kropotkin. Ba Jin started composing his first works in the late 1920s.

1 Biography
2 Bibliography
3 Works
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Biography

Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, Li was born into a scholar-official family where his paternal grandfather ruled with an iron hand, not unlike those depicted in his famous novel, Family. In 1920 he enrolled in the Chengdu Foreign Language Specialist School. Three years later, Li moved to Shanghai and then to Nanjing on the pretext of study to escape the feudalistic influence of his family. In 1927 he travelled to France for studies, where he first used the pen-name Ba Jin. While there he began writing his first novel, Miewang (“Destruction”). On his return to Shanghai in 1928, Ba Jin continued writing and working on translations. During the next 10 years, Li acted as editor to several important publishing firms and periodicals, as well as composing the works which he is best known for – Family (1931), The Love Trilogy Fog (1931), Rain (1933) and Lightning (1935), the novellas Autumn in Spring and A Dream of the Sea, the short story collection Mengya (“Germination”) and prose writings in Fuchou ("Vengeance") and Shen, Gui, Ren ("Gods, Ghosts and Men").

During the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II), Ba Jin was actively involved in propaganda work against the Japanese invasion, working on the publication Nahan (“Outcries”, later renamed Fenghuo, “Beacons”) with Mao Dun. In the later stages of the war, Ba Jin completed the famous Torrents Trilogy — of which Family (1931) was the first written — with Spring (1938) and Autumn (1940). Other works of the post-war period, like the short novels A Garden of Repose (1944), Ward No 4 (1946) and Cold Nights (1947), contain some of his strongest writings.

Ba Jin in his later years

During the Cultural Revolution, Ba Jin was heavily persecuted as a counter-revolutionary. His wife, Xiao Shan, died during the Revolution after being denied medical care, and the manner of her death traumatized Ba Jin for the rest of his life. He was rehabilitated in 1977, after which he was elected to many important national literary posts, including chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association (since 1983). The most significant work of his later years is probably the discursive writings in Suixiang Lu (translated as "Random Thoughts", 5 volumes, composed between 1978 and 1986), in which, among other things, he reflected on the Cultural Revolution in a painfully honest manner and asked specifically for a Cultural Revolution Museum to be set up as a deterrent for future generations.

He spoke and advocated Esperanto and in the 1980s was the vice-president of the Chinese Esperanto League.

Ba Jin’s works were heavily influenced by foreign writers, including Emile Zola, Ivan Turgenev, Alexandr Herzen and Anton Chekhov, and a substantial amount of his collected works are devoted to translations. His writing style, characterized by simplicity, avoids difficult, abstruse words, and most of his works would be easily understood by anyone with a high school degree, making him one of the easiest modern Chinese writer to read.

Ba Jin suffered from Parkinson's Disease since 1983, an ailment which almost completely debilitated him and confined him to a hospital unable to speak and walk toward the last few years of his life. Ba Jin died of cancer in Shanghai at the age of 100 (101 by Chinese reckoning). His death marked the end of an era for Chinese literature, especially since he was the last major writer to live through the May Fourth Movement.

Asteroid 8315 Bajin is named in his honour.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Translated into English

(1954) Living Amongst Heroes. Beijing: Foreign Language Press.
(1958) The Family. [trans. Sidney Shapiro] Beijing: Foreign Language Press.
(1959) A battle for life: a full record of how the life of steel worker, Chiu Tsai-kang, was saved in the Shanghai Kwangrze Hospital. Beijing: Foreign Language Press.
(1978) Cold Nights [trans. Nathan K. Mao and Liu Ts'un-yan] Hong Kong: Chinese University press.
(1984) Random Thoughts [trans. Germie Barm&ecute;] Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Company. (Partial translation of Suizianglu)
(1988) Selected works of Ba Jin [trans. Sidney Shapiro and Jock Hoe] Beijing: Foreign Language Press. (Includes The Family, Autumn in Spring, Garden of Repose, Bitter Cold Nights)
(1999) Ward Four: A Novel of Wartime China [trans. Haili Kong and Howard Goldblatt]. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, Inc.

[edit] Ba Jin Stories in Collections

Arzybasheff, M.(1927). "Morning Shadows?" in Tales of the Revolution. Tr. Percy Pinkerton. New York Huebsch.
(1927)."Workingman Shevyrev." in Tales of the Revolution, tr. Percy Pinkerton. New York: Huebsch.

[edit] About Ba Jin

Ayers, W. (1950). "Shanghai Labor and the May Thirtieth Movement," Papers on China, 5:1-38. Harvard University, East Asian Research Center.
Bao-Puo. (1925). "The Anarchist Movement in China: From a Letter of a Chinese Comrade." Tr. from the Russian, in Freedom. 39.423:4.
(1953). "The Society for Literary Studies, 1921-1930." Papers on China. 7:34-79. Harvard University, East Asian Research Center.
Chen Tan-chen. (1963). "Pa Chin the Novelist: An Interview." Chinese Literature. 6:84-92.
Ch'en Chia-ai character. "Chung-kuo li-shih shang chih an-na-ch'i-chu -i che character (Anarchists in Chinese history); in K'o-lu-p'ao-t'e-chin hsueh-shuo kai-yao. pp. 379-410.
Hsin ch'ing-nien (1908). "Chinese Anarchist in Tokyo," Freedom, 22.23:52.
Lang, Olga, (1967). Pa Chin and His Writings: Chinese Youth Between the Two Revolutions. Harvard University Press.
Martin, H. and J. Kinkley, eds. (1992) Modern Chinese writers: self-portrayals. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Renditions Autumn 1992. No. 38. "Special issue on Twentieth Century Memoirs. Reminiscences by well-known literary figures, including Zhu Ziqing, Ba Jin, Lao She and Wang Xiyan."

[edit] Films

Return from Silence: Five prominent and controversial Chinese writers speak on their roles in the modernization of China. (1 hour video cassette available) - The life and work of five esteemed Chinese writers whose modern classics shaped China's past: Ba Jin, Mao Dun, Ding Ling, Cao Yu, and Ai Qing. Produced by Chung-wen Shih, George Washington University. 1982.

[edit] Works

Short Story Collections:

Vengeance 《复仇》，1931
Brightness 《光明》，1932
The Electric Chair 《电椅》, 1933
Wiping Cloth 《抹布》，1933
The General 《将军》，1934
Gods, Ghosts and Men 《神·鬼·人》，1935
Sinking 《沉落》，1936
The Story of Hair 《发的故事》，1936
Thunder 《雷》，1937
Resurrection Grass 《还魂草》，1942
Little People, Little Events 《小人小事》，1943
Heroic Tales 《英雄的故事》，1953
Pigs and Chickens 《猪与鸡》，1959
Li Da-hai 《李大海》，1961
Stories Outside the City，1992

Children's literature:

The Immortality Pagoda 《长生塔》，1937
The Pearl and the Jade Concubine 《明珠和玉姬》，1957

Novels and Novellas:

Destruction 《灭亡》, 1929
The Dead Sun 《死去的太阳》, 1931
The "Love" Trilogy 《爱情的三部曲》 (1931-5)
- Fog 《雾》, 1931
- Rain 《雨》，1933
- Lightning 《电》，1935
New Life 《新生》，1933
Miners 《砂丁》，1933
Germination 《萌芽》，1933
A Dream of the Sea 《海的梦》，1932
Autumn in Spring 《春天里的秋天》，1932
The "Torrents" Trilogy 《激流三部曲》
- The Family 《家》，1933
- Spring 《春》，1938
- Autumn 《秋》，194O
Lina 《利娜》，1940
Fires 《火》(in three volumes)，1940—1945
Stars 《星》(English-Chinese bilingual)，1941
A Garden of Repose 《憩园》，1944
Ward No 4 《第四病室》，novella, 1946
Cold Nights 《寒夜》，1947

Autobiography and Memoirs:

Ba Jin: An Autobiography 《巴金自传》，1934
I Remember 《忆》，1936
Thinking Back on Childhood 《童年的回忆》，1984

Non-fiction:

(coauthor)Anarchism and its Practical Problems 《无政府主义与实际问题》，1927
From Capitalism to Anarchism 《从资本主义到安那其主义》，1930
A Walk by the Sea 《海行》，1932
Travel Notes 《旅途随笔》，1934
Droplets of Life 《点滴》，1935
Confessions of Living 《生之忏悔》，1936
Brief Notes 《短简》，1937
I Accused 《控诉》，1937
Dreaming and Drunkenness 《梦与醉》，1938
Thoughts and Feelings 《感想》，1939
Black Earth 《黑土》，1939
Untitled 《无题》，1941
Dragons, Tigers and Dogs 《龙·虎·狗》，1941
Outside the Derelict Garden 《废园外》，1942
Travel Notes 《旅途杂记》，1946
Remembering 《怀念》，1947
Tragedy of a Still Night 《静夜的悲剧》，1948
The Nazi Massacre Factory: Auschwitz 《纳粹杀人工厂—奥斯威辛》，1951
Warsaw Festivals: Notes in Poland 《华沙城的节日—波兰杂记》，1951
The Consoling Letter and Others 《慰问信及其他》，1951
Living Amongst Heroes 《生活书局在英雄们中间》，1953
They Who Defend Peace 《保卫和平的人们》，1954
On Chekhov 《谈契河夫》，1955
Days of Great Joy 《大欢乐的日子》，1957
Strong Warriors 《坚强的战士》，1957
A Battle for Life 《—场挽救生命的战斗》，1958
New Voices: A Collection 《新声集》，1959
Friendship: A Collection 《友谊集》，1959
Eulogies: A Collection 《赞歌集》，1960
Feelings I Can't Express 《倾吐不尽的感情》，1963
Lovely by the Bridge 《贤良桥畔》，1964
Travels to Dazhai 《大寨行》，1965
Ba Jin: New Writings，1978—1980
Smorching Smoke 《烟火集》，1979
Random Thoughts 《随想录》，1978-86
Thinking Back on Writing 《创作回忆录》1981
Exploration and Memories 《探索与回忆》，1982
Afterwords: A Collection 《序跋集》，1982
Remembrance: A Collection 《忆念集》，1982
Ba Jin: On Writing 《巴金论创作》，1983
Literature: Recollections (with Lao She) 《文学回忆录》1983
To Earth to Dust 《愿化泥土》，1984
I Accused: A Collection 《控诉集》，1985
In My Heart 《心里话》，1986
Ten Years, One Dream 《十年一梦》，1986
More Thoughts 《再思录》，1995

Letters:

To Our Young Friends Looking for Aspirations 《寻找理想的少年朋友》，1987
Snow and Dirt 《雪泥集》，1987
Collected Letters of Ba Jin 《巴金书信集》， 1991

Others:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Razak, Dzulkifli Abdul (Oct. 30, 2005). "Leaving behind their legacies". New Straits Times, p. F9.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Ba Jin

Preceded by Mao Dun	Chairman of Chinese Writer Association 1984-2005	Succeeded by Tie Ning

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