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林语堂作品集：朱门
Very good condition
377 pages
First published January 1, 1953
2 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Lin Yutang
260 books343 followersProlific writer of a wide variety of works in Chinese 林语堂 and English; in the 1930s he founded several Chinese magazines specializing in social satire and Western-style journalism.
Lin, the son of a Chinese Presbyterian minister, was educated for the ministry but renounced Christianity in his early 20s and became a professor of English. He traveled to the United States and Europe for advanced study; on his return to China, he taught, edited several English-language journals, and contributed essays to Chinese literary magazines.
In 1932 Lin established the Lunyu banyuekan (“Analects Fortnightly”), a type of Western-style satirical magazine totally new to China at that time. It was highly successful, and he soon introduced two more publications. In 1935 Lin published the first of his many English-language books, My Country and My People. It was widely translated and for years was regarded as a standard text on China. The following year he moved to New York City to meet the popular demand for his historical accounts and novels. In 1939 he published his renowned English novel Moment in Peking. The Wisdom of China and India appeared in 1942.
Although he returned to China briefly in 1943 and again in 1954, Lin both times became involved in disputes stemming from his stand in favour of literature as self-expression rather than as propaganda and social education. In addition to writing books on Chinese history and philosophy, he made highly acclaimed English translations of Chinese literary masterpieces, such as Famous Chinese Short Stories Retold (1952).
Lin, the son of a Chinese Presbyterian minister, was educated for the ministry but renounced Christianity in his early 20s and became a professor of English. He traveled to the United States and Europe for advanced study; on his return to China, he taught, edited several English-language journals, and contributed essays to Chinese literary magazines.
In 1932 Lin established the Lunyu banyuekan (“Analects Fortnightly”), a type of Western-style satirical magazine totally new to China at that time. It was highly successful, and he soon introduced two more publications. In 1935 Lin published the first of his many English-language books, My Country and My People. It was widely translated and for years was regarded as a standard text on China. The following year he moved to New York City to meet the popular demand for his historical accounts and novels. In 1939 he published his renowned English novel Moment in Peking. The Wisdom of China and India appeared in 1942.
Although he returned to China briefly in 1943 and again in 1954, Lin both times became involved in disputes stemming from his stand in favour of literature as self-expression rather than as propaganda and social education. In addition to writing books on Chinese history and philosophy, he made highly acclaimed English translations of Chinese literary masterpieces, such as Famous Chinese Short Stories Retold (1952).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2023
I am so glad I discovered the author Lin Yutang. This is the third of his novels I have read, the first being Moment in Peking and then A Leaf in the Storm, both of which were memorable. The author expresses himself In English beautifully. If you like to read about China in the 1930s and like a good love story try to find a copy of this book. This book was copyrighted in 1953, the year I was born.
January 2, 2017
Just finished this book within a week. It's good to know that I can still read fast if I want to, but I also spent a decent amount of time with this book, as the story was intriguing enough to keep my attention.
Overall, I liked the story. For some reason, I like novels related to history, especially the part of history in earlier 20th century. Perhaps it's because people from that time were passionate about being a responsible citizen. Lots of young students and scholars tried their best to save the country, just like Jo-an and Li Fei in this book. Compared to Lin's another book of the same period Moment in Peking, I prefer the latter for the more vivid characters and fuller story line. Jo-an in this book was the type of girls who grew up in a rather rich family and had a sense of responsibility to the country, but was not brave enough to speak out sometimes. But she did become more and more independent in the later part of the book. She was lucky to be born in such a family, which provided her with education and opportunities to learn new things. There were more girls who had to go through more difficult routes. Li Fei, to me, was somewhat not a fully expressed character. Maybe his characterization was not even as much as that of Jo-an's.
On the other hand, I enjoyed reading the book, as it's a book about China and written in English. The author Lin had quite a few other books which were like this. I admired him, not only for his many books, but also because of his being able to describe China so elegantly in English. I don't know how many of my peer friends can fluently talk about Chinese way of living and thinking to the Westerners. But Lin was one. He had background in literature, which to some extent distinguished his writing. I want to be able to communicate with my American friends, about Chinese dishes, like the steamed buns (buns with different stuffing) in this book. The traditional way Chinese eat, drink, think, act etc was so different that I always get stuck when trying to explain these to my non-Chinese friends. Modern Chinese are more and more westernized nowadays, but there is still the sense which keeps reminding me of my Asian origin.
I'll definitely keep looking for Lin's other books!
Overall, I liked the story. For some reason, I like novels related to history, especially the part of history in earlier 20th century. Perhaps it's because people from that time were passionate about being a responsible citizen. Lots of young students and scholars tried their best to save the country, just like Jo-an and Li Fei in this book. Compared to Lin's another book of the same period Moment in Peking, I prefer the latter for the more vivid characters and fuller story line. Jo-an in this book was the type of girls who grew up in a rather rich family and had a sense of responsibility to the country, but was not brave enough to speak out sometimes. But she did become more and more independent in the later part of the book. She was lucky to be born in such a family, which provided her with education and opportunities to learn new things. There were more girls who had to go through more difficult routes. Li Fei, to me, was somewhat not a fully expressed character. Maybe his characterization was not even as much as that of Jo-an's.
On the other hand, I enjoyed reading the book, as it's a book about China and written in English. The author Lin had quite a few other books which were like this. I admired him, not only for his many books, but also because of his being able to describe China so elegantly in English. I don't know how many of my peer friends can fluently talk about Chinese way of living and thinking to the Westerners. But Lin was one. He had background in literature, which to some extent distinguished his writing. I want to be able to communicate with my American friends, about Chinese dishes, like the steamed buns (buns with different stuffing) in this book. The traditional way Chinese eat, drink, think, act etc was so different that I always get stuck when trying to explain these to my non-Chinese friends. Modern Chinese are more and more westernized nowadays, but there is still the sense which keeps reminding me of my Asian origin.
I'll definitely keep looking for Lin's other books!
November 13, 2021
可惜現實世界的結局沒那麼好
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews