The Last Nobleman (Full Version)

This book is like a history of the minds of Chinese intellectuals, revealing the complexity of the human heart. Previous accounts of the Anti-Rightist Movement of 1957 often suffer from a simplistic narrative, with the good guys and the bad guys clearly defined. But Zhang Lihe's portrayal reveals the complex inner lives of the persecuted Zhang Bojun and Luo Longji, as well as Shi Liang, who participated in the persecution. Their hearts reveal a complex tapestry of bright spots and dark moments... The Anti-Rightist Movement itself revealed a profoundly complex landscape.
Behind the political reckoning lies a complex web of grievances and grudges. We witness how private grievances are aired in a public guise, and how public reckoning draws upon the hidden narratives of private life. Compared to the simplified Chinese version of "The Past Is Not Like Smoke," the traditional Chinese version of "The Last Nobleman" differs not only in name but also in content, as it embraces politically sensitive content, resulting in a richer and more comprehensive collection. This thrilling period of history is recreated with greater authenticity and integrity. Even Zhang Yihe herself considers the traditional Chinese version to be the "true version" of her memories.
Zhang Lihe, the second daughter of Zhang Bojun, the "number one rightist in China," whose label remains unremoved, is a native of Tongcheng, Anhui Province, born in 1942. During China's Cultural Revolution, she spent a full ten years in prison due to her family background and poor political performance. After her release in 1979, she was transferred to the Chinese Academy of Arts' Institute of Traditional Chinese Opera, where she currently works as a drama researcher and doctoral supervisor. Zhang Lihe says, "China has always had a literary tradition of 'literature conveys truth.' Learning is ultimately about the human condition, and writing is a private matter, a purely individual spiritual labor. It belongs to the people and to society, unconnected to 'official learning' or the 'bureaucracy.'"
For her book "The Last Nobleman," she received the 2004 International PEN Freedom of Writing Award. Her latest book, "A Gust of Wind, Leaving Behind a Song for the Ages" (Oxford University Press, January 2005), immediately won the inaugural Guo Moruo Essay Award in Beijing. Ms. Zhang Yihe's "The Last Nobleman" garnered widespread fame, and despite censorship, the simplified Chinese version in mainland China ultimately faced a ban. Before the ban, a print run of 300,000 copies had already been reached in just two months. The simplified Chinese abridged edition of her new book, "A Gust of Wind, Leaving Behind a Song for the Ages," had an initial print run of 150,000 copies, but all copies were withheld shortly before release. The edition published by Oxford Publishing in Hong Kong in January 2005 is both the complete edition and the only one to date.

2004-03-31

牛津大學

400

9780195970654