介绍:
Owner of ice cream shops, founder of a public welfare program, editor-in-chief of a literature app...It's hard to choose the right word to describe what kind of person Zhang Chun is. But there is no doubt that she is a feet-firmly-planted-on-the-ground writer.
On Douban, one of China's hottest social networking websites, this budding author has constantly published over 600 thousand words of diaries, notes and essays on her daily life and reflection of the world. During the past few years, her writings have been widely circulated online and elevated her to the most famous story-tellers in cyberspace.
"Writing could be considered one of my hobbies. Whenever something meaningful happens to me, I want to record it in case I forget. Honestly, I write for self-entertainment. But after I publish them, those writings which I thought are only related to myself resonate for others too. The reaction from readers does surprise me. "
Selected 42 stories from Zhang's blog entries, the miscellanea "A Moment in the Life", or in Chinese "Yi Sheng Li De Mou Yi Ke", is a piece of writing to which you could often return. No trace of grand narrative or legend can be found here, but the lively display of trifles and conversations of the writer's life. Particularly in terms of the first half of the book, the essays range in subjects from the swallow's nest under her roof to the adulatory yet good-natured shop assistants. Written in a light-hearted and sort of amusing manner, these stories show a curious and keen mind about the world, a good humor in revealing her friends and a sharp eye for detail.
In one of the chapters, Zhang Chun even meticulously writes about how the most common of foods taste best. From pop corn, instant noodles to apple and even dog food, she depicts every moment of devouring with mind-boggling zeal. The words may not only make your mouth water, but also let their many readers be touched by the life-loving spirit of the writer.
However, turning to the second half of the book, the bright and teasing tone of the book takes a shocking turn. Written in a sober and plain language, Zhang pens down the deaths of her father and childhood friend, the entangled relationship with her elder brother and her struggle with depression, which, is no doubt a heavy blow to the face for these expecting a light literature.
The writer explains the change of keynote of her book.
"We may share similar experience in our daily life: in the beginning, it is all about laughter and joy; but gradually you will be involved with an emotion that is more complicated and profound. "
Despite all the hardships and burdens in life, dramatic outbursts or schmaltzy self-pity is rarely seen from Zhang's writings. Instead, candor and straight-forward honesty lie between the lines of this book, which is far more powerful than many so-called self-help books.
"I don't need to go sentimental with myself. All I want to do is to record everything faithfully. There is nothing wrong with being honest. I don't care if people like my writing or not. But in my imagination, there will be a few people find comfort from my book when they feel lonely and sad."
Maybe they will.
At the end of the essay collection, Zhang is not shy about unveiling many personal aspects during her suffering from depression, even including those darkest and most perplexed moments. By throwing out questions that concern the significance of tribulation and existence, she seeks out the reconciliation with life.
"When you get depression, you feel meaningless. You fail to recognize whether your emotion is true or not and you don't even remember if something happened. It's very scary. So when I felt that there's something wrong with me, I realize writing has become a kind of self-salvation, which helps me to reach out for something more authentic in life. Before that, I didn't think about it so earnestly."
Thanks to her restrained attitude and incisive delineation of sorrow and joy, "A Moment in the Life" is hailed as "The Book of Courage" by the People's Literature Publishing House and has received much acclaim.
But facing her popularity, the writer seems to be detached, since the only thing she wants to do is to be a good storyteller.
"In this mediocre life, what do ordinary people do to survive their inner world? What's on their minds and what do they feel? I just want to explore stories that concern all these questions. They are the good stories in my mind and the stories I could write. "
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