The city has nothing

If you have used the One-Way Calendar and read Thirteen Invitations, it is time to open this book. Exclusive, original, and first release, it is a new milestone since the revision of "Single Reading". Five young contemporary British writers with great potential will appear in Chinese for the first time, exploring the cutting-edge international literary vision and facing the empty heart of modern urban life, questioning: what possibilities do we have besides the city?
【Content Introduction】
My grandmother simply can't stop. The soup she makes is enough to feed all the sad souls in Belfast. —Jane Carson I want to understand my country. I don't go to the city, I want to go to the small towns, the farms, and the ranches. —Steinbeck You can live an adventurous life even if you stay at your desk. —Jeff Dell Ultimately, what's going on in this world is nothing more than a globalized exchange of money and love. —Liu Zichaoren When he was young, the word "death" didn't even enter his mind. —Wang Zhanhei London, and any other metropolis, no longer represents a fixed location. Even if they must be described as centers, they are merely connecting points for easier travel elsewhere, extending in countless directions, even moving away themselves. This collection of "Single Reading" is such a circuitous journey, passing through London and into the UK, featuring five contemporary writers whose works have yet to be translated into Chinese. Their works are like scattered rays of light in a field: some approach the city's center, some linger on the unknown edge of Europe, some fly to islands, and some return to their birthplaces in Asia.
Today's language and writing, despite their relentless pursuit of exploring modern life, have reached a bottleneck. We are constantly reduced to discussing love, personal loneliness, and the lost meaning of meaning, ultimately trapped in a repetitive core and a series of subtle variations in form. Drawing on the works of our British contemporaries, we re-question what lies at the heart of the city, and how, beyond the city, a wider, more expansive space might exist. When we speak of "urban nothingness," we clearly don't mean a material emptiness, or even a spiritual void. Rather, the so-called "urban consciousness" is no longer readily available, no longer amenable to the arbitrary hindsight of James. We once assumed these things were within reach, but precisely the closer things are, the harder it is to describe.
…
Coincidentally, this article was completed while I was on another flight to London. This constant experience of entering and leaving London taught me that repetition, circulation, and flow can also be a process of inspiration, challenge, and creation. Every departure is the beginning of countless new departures. This is especially true for Single Reading. We've already visited Beijing, London, and Australia; next time, we'll be heading to Latin America, Scotland, Ireland, and Africa.
【Editor's Recommendation】
1. A special issue on contemporary British literature, exclusively translating and introducing leading young British writers, this edition seeks out cutting-edge literature and voices from around the globe. These include Jane Carson (winner of the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Writing Award), Carrie Hudson (winner of the Femina Prize for Foreign Fiction), Ned Bowman (Granta's list of the best young British novelists), David Soloy (shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize), and Sarah Hoy (winner of the T. S. Eliot Poetry Prize). These names, relatively unfamiliar to Chinese readers, are truly young leaders in contemporary British literature and emerging voices in major British literary awards. Their novels and poetry are making their global debut in Chinese, and some are even being translated into languages ​​other than English for the first time. This special issue, "Single Reading," is a contemporary British literature edition presented as part of the International Literary Showcase (ILS). Continuing our consistent focus on young writers and our commitment to an international perspective, we strive to explore a broader range of emerging and compelling voices.
2. Examining our shared situation from a foreign perspective, we reflect on modern urban life—on one hand, the fast-paced, convenient, and advanced modern city; on the other, the monotony and fragmentation of individual life. We choose the city, yet we are imprisoned by it. Does this lack of choice in our living space also represent a spiritual and cultural dilemma? Beyond repetitive scenes, repetitive emotions, and repetitive topics, do we have the creativity to develop new living spaces and nurture a new spiritual core?
3. The publication of 100% exclusive, first-run content marks a milestone in Dan Du's journey of originality—all the works readers encounter in this edition are being published for the first time. In addition to five contemporary British writers, emerging post-90s author Wang Zhanhei, travel writer Liu Zichao, longtime UK observer and writer Wang Bang, book reviewer Li Nanxin, writer Xia Yu, and global book news influencer Wu Yao have all contributed their latest works to Dan Du. These works, ranging from small-scale community stories to grandiose visions of exotic locations, reflect the diversity of the world we live in and the richness of the human spirit.
4. Sarah Hoy, the British-Chinese poet and T.S. Eliot Prize winner, presents a masterpiece that depicts the cultural rupture and reflection between two generations. Jiang Zhi's expression creates a beautiful fusion of text and image, thought and vision—Sarah Hoy's award-winning poetry collection, "Yuhuan," is rich with Chinese elements. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the UK, the poet refocuses her attention on this land, writing about the deep connections of blood and culture. Jiang Zhi possesses an extraordinary ability to express himself in both text and image. He sees writing and painting as both arduous labor and a path to freedom. The images in this collection will offer readers a dual enjoyment of thought and vision.
5. Exclusive interview with Jeff Dell, "How do people without a sense of humor survive in the world?" - "Dan Du" continues to recommend exclusive interviews with Jeff Dell, John Berger, tennis, travel, jazz, literature and politics. Here, readers will see a rich, interesting, unique and unparalleled Jeff Dell.
6. One-Way Space and Ideal Country continue to work together to create beloved books for intellectual young people and a source of global youth thought - readability and thoughtfulness, global observations and individual experiences. This issue of "Single Reading" continues to look for high-quality content for young people.
【Expert Recommendation】
Xu Zhiyuan, co-founder of One Way Space: "I've co-edited many magazines that were aborted, and the vitality of Dandu often amazes me. Because it continues to attract young and outstanding people, I believe it will continue to exist for a long time and with great resilience."
A Yi, writer: "Dan Du offers an aesthetic that is intellectual, rational, yet not cold. It is a magazine that appeals to young people. It makes its readers young and motivated."
Guo Yujie, Editor-in-Chief of Noon and the first Editor-in-Chief of One Way Street, said, "The past decade or so has been a time when people's minds have been rapidly changing with technology, and when everything has been imperceptibly decaying. Living in this era requires agility to adapt to change while maintaining a persistent resolve; this is a necessary principle. Looking back on the founding of One Way Street (the predecessor of Single Reading), it was this agility, and even more so, persistence, that saved it from fleeting passion, allowing it to develop its own trajectory through time and offer a depth of reflection."
Qin Liwen, a veteran media professional, said, "Writing for Dan Du has always been the most wonderful thing. It's like having a conversation with an all-knowing soulmate, standing on the long shared tradition of the world to care for humanity's present and future. Its elegant inclusiveness and richness have fostered a new style in my writing. Magazines that still uphold the intellectual traditions of the Enlightenment are becoming increasingly rare, just like stars gradually fading in the night sky. For me, among the sparse and shining stars of humanity, Dan Du is already the most dazzling one in the Chinese world."
Yu Wei, co-founder of One Way Space, said, "If this small magazine, Single Reading, has any ambition, it is to be like The New York Review of Books, attracting the country's most brilliant minds, encouraging independent thinking and rational criticism, never abandoning the responsibility of humanistic intellectuals, and pursuing first-class textual expression. This goal is far from being achieved, and perhaps it will never be achieved, so we can only keep going."
Su Jing, editor-in-chief of Zhiri and the first publisher of One-Way Street, said, "In the blink of an eye, the magazine and book called One-Way Street was renamed Single Reading and even had its own app of the same name. The One-Way Calendar has become a rare success story for cultural and creative products in recent years. One-Way Street Bookstore has also gone from being a completely idealistic company to a mainstream commercial company. And throughout this process, it has maintained its idealism, which is in any case gratifying. To this day, I am sincerely happy that I was able to participate in the founding and publication of One-Way Street magazine and book."

2018-09-01

台海出版社

Single Reading

408

9787516820759