September's Fable tells the story of the rise and fall of a Chinese
coastal village through its difficult formation, hard existence
and inevitable disintegration. Spanning approximately sixty
years, the novel is a rich and intriguing tapestry of life
and death in rural China. Somewhat in the tradition of William
Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, September's
Fable weaves history, politics, and folklore close together
to bring an enchanting way of storytelling that dexterously
touches on such universal themes as love and hate, war and
revolution, city and country, the noble and the ugly, and,
more importantly, the inevitability of the old superseded
by the new and young.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born
in 1956 in a small seaside town of eastern China, Zhang Wei
has published ten novels, over a dozen novellas and numerous
short stories, essays and poems. He has won more than thirty
important national and international literary prizes. Zhang
Wei is regarded as one of the “Ten Most Important Chinese
Writers of the 1990's, and his novel September’s
Fable is regarded as one of the “Ten Most Important
Chinese Literary Works of the 1990s.” More
about Zhang Wei
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Terence
Russell is Associate Professor of Chinese in the
Asian Studies Centre at the University of Manitoba in Canada,
where he teaches Chinese language and literature. Shawn
Xian Ye has taught at universities and colleges in
both China and the U.S. He is also the coauthor of a nonfiction
book in English, The Haier Way (2003).
One of contemporary China's most prolific and widely respected
novelists, Zhang Wei has remained a secret in the West. This
fine translation of one of his most complex novels will change
that, and is a welcome addition to the growing corpus of Chinese
fiction in English.
— Howard Goldblatt, Professor of Chinese,
University of Notre Dame, and the foremost translator of contemporary
Chinese literature in the West
ZHANG WEI: A MORE DETAILED
INTRODUCTION
Born in 1956 in the small seaside town of Longkou (Dragon
Mouth) in Shangdong Province, China, Zhang Wei spent his
early years in a forested area in that area. Much under
the influence of his family, he began writing at an early
age. He published his long poem “Visiting the Bugler”
when he was seventeen. In order to escape his family's political
difficulties, he left home to wander the Shandong peninsula
alone for many years. In 1979 he was enrolled in the Chinese
Department of Yantai Normal Institute of Shangdong Province
to study creative writing. Since then he has published over
seventy individual volumes of various kinds of writings,
including novels, poems, prose, and essays. A conscientious
and assiduous writer, Zhang Wei has shadings of strong romanticism
and idealism in addition to a nearly mystical affection
for nature.
In 1982, he won his first national literary prize. Since
then he has been awarded more than thirty important national
and international literary prizes. This has made him one
of China's most influential and most prominent authors.
In 1987, Zhang Wei moved to live in a small cottage on the
outskirts of Longkou where he lived with his aged mother
for over five years. During that time he submerged himself
primarily in writing September's Fable, a novel that has
significant impact on the Chinese literary scene. Focusing
on writing rather than fanfare, Zhang Wei has always been
trying to avoid publicity and associations. He rarely makes
public appearances. Among the heavyweight Chinese authors
he is the one and perhaps the only “hermit.”
But Zhang Wei has always been the focal point of the Chinese
literary scene. Virtually every three or four years since
1984 the Chinese literary circle would have a round of discussion
and debate over Zhang Wei and his writings. Given his importance,
it would be hard to imagine contemporary Chinese literature
without Zhang Wei.
ZHANG WEI: MAJOR HONORS AND AWARDS
1) In a survey conducted in 2000 among one hundred Chinese
literary critics for "The Ten Most Important Chinese
Writers of the 1990s," Zhang Wei was on the list. In
the same survey for "The Ten Most Important Chinese
Literary Works of the 1990s," Zhang Wei's novel September's
Fable was on the list.
2) Ancient Boat, top 100 Chinese novels in the 20th Century,
Asia Weekly, 2000
3) September's Fable, the best novel award, Chinese Writers'
Association and China News, 1998
4) Selected Writings of Zhang Wei, the best book award,
Shangdong Province, 1997
5) In 1996 with the "Most Favored Authors Survey"
conducted by the national "New China Digest" and
"People's Press," Zhang Wei ranked the second.
6) In 1996, over three thousand novels published in Mainland
China between 1985 and 1995 were evaluated for literary
prizes. Zhang Wei was the only author who had two novels
– Ancient Boat and September's Fable – among
the top twenty.
7) September's Fable, the first prize for novel, the Grand
awards for best novels and novellas published in Shanghai,
1994
8) "The Autumn of Wrath," the best novella award,
Novella Magazine, 1986
9) "A Pool of Clear Water," the best short story
award, the Chinese Writers' Association, 1984
10) "Voice," the best short story award, the Chinese
Writers' Association, 1982
