Shen Congwen

Shen Congwen
Shen Congwen

Shen Congwen and his wife Zhang Zhaohe
Born 28 December 1902(1902-12-28)
Died 10 May 1988(1988-05-10) (aged 85)
Alma mater Peking University
Influenced by Yu Dafu, Xu Zhimo, Lin Zaipin
Spouse Zhang Zhaohe, married on 9 September 1933, widowed on 10 May 1988 (&1000000000000005400000054 years, &10000000000000244000000244 days)

Shen Congwen (simplified Chinese: 沈从文; traditional Chinese: 沈從文; pinyin: Shěn Cóngwén; Wade–Giles: Shen Ts'ung-wen, December 28, 1902—May 10, 1988) was the pen name of a Miao Chinese writer from the May Fourth Movement. He was known for combining the vernacular style of writing with classical Chinese writing techniques, and his writing also reflects a strong influence from western literature. He was born as Shen Yuehuan (沈岳煥) on 1902 December 28 in Fenghuang County (凤凰县) in Hunan Province. He died on 1988 May 10 in Beijing. He is described as "a novelist, short-story writer, lyricist and passionate champion of literary and intellectual independence.... Although almost entirely unknown to Western readers, Mr. Shen's oeuvre, much of it embued with the folklore and customs of his native western Hunan, has been compared to that of William Faulkner."[1]

Shen was initially trained for a career in the military. As a soldier in the Chinese army, he observed border fighting and the lives of the Miao tribesmen, which later became the subject matter of his early short fiction stories. He began writing fiction in 1922 and wrote almost continually until 1949. He taught Chinese literature at various universities during the Second Sino-Japanese War out of monetary necessity.

Originally an apolitical writer, he suffered a breakdown after the Communist Revolution in 1949 and the subsequent restrictions on writing. He recovered by 1955, but he never again published another work of fiction. He was given a staffing post at the Palace Museum at the Forbidden City in Beijing, about which he wrote a non-fiction work in 1957. Afterwards, he also published a famous study of Chinese costume and dress.

Changhe (长河, “The Long River”), written during the Sino-Japanese War, is generally considered the best of his long fiction. Chundeng Ji (春灯集, “Lamp of Spring”) and Heifeng Ji (黑凤集, “Black Phoenix”) are his most important collections of short stories. "The Border City", also known as "The Frontier City" (《边城》拼音:Bian Cheng) is considered his masterwork,a beautifully written pastoral ode to love. This novel has been translated into nine different languages. It is now possible to visit his former residence in Fenghuang County.

References

External links

  • Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, article- "Shen Ts'ung-wen"

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shen Congwen — (chinesisch 沈从文; * 28. Dezember 1902 im Kreis Fenghuang des Autonomen Bezirks Xiangxi in der Provinz Hunan; † 10. Mai 1988 in Peking) war ein chinesischer Schriftsteller. Seine Großmutter väterlicherseits gehörte zur Nationalität der Miao,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shen Congwen —   [ʃɛn tsɔȖ ], Shen Ts ungwen, chinesischer Schriftsteller, * Fenhuang (Provinz Hunan) 29. 11. 1903, ✝ Peking 10. 5. 1988; aus einer der nichtchinesischen Minoritätengruppe der Tujia zugehörigen Offiziersfamilie stammend, besaß er in seiner… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Shen Congwen — Este es un nombre chino; el apellido es Shen. Shen Congwen (chino tradicional: 沈從文, chino simplificado: 沈从文, pinyin: Shěn Cóngwén, Wade Giles: Shen Ts ung wen) (Fenghuang, China; 28 de diciembre de 1902 Pekín; 10 de mayo de 1988) fue un escritor… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shen Congwen — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Shen (homonymie). Dans ce nom chinois, le nom de famille, Shen, précède le prénom. 沈從文 Shen Congwen (28 décembre 1902 10 mai 1988) est un écrivain chinois de la période moderne. Écrivain indépendant, ses romans… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shen Congwen — Éste es un nombre chino; el apellido es Shen. Shen Congwen (chino tradicional: 沈從文, chino simplificado: 沈从文, pinyin: Shěn Cóngwén, Wade Giles: Shen Ts ung wen) (Fenghuang, China; 28 de diciembre de 1902 Pekín; …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Shen Congwen — /shun tsawng wun / born 1902, Chinese author. Also, Wade Giles, Shen Ts ung wen /shun tsoong wun /. * * * ▪ Chinese author Wade Giles romanization  Shen Ts ung wen , original name  Shen Yuehuan  born December 28, 1902, Fenghuang, Hunan province,… …   Universalium

  • Shen Congwen — /shun tsawng wun / born 1902, Chinese author. Also, Wade Giles, Shen Ts ung wen /shun tsoong wun / …   Useful english dictionary

  • Shen Congweng — Shen Congwen (chin. 沈从文; * 28. Dezember 1902 im Kreis Fenghuang des Autonomen Bezirks Xiangxi in der Provinz Hunan; † 10. Mai 1988 in Peking) war ein chinesischer Schriftsteller. Seine Großmutter väterlicherseits gehörte zur Nationalität der Miao …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shen — (homonymie) Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Echuu Shen Jon, personnage de l univers étendu de la Guerre des étoiles, Kool Shen, rappeur français du groupe NTM, Shen (參宿 cān xiù) est une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shen — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Shen Congwen (1902–1988), chinesischer Schriftsteller Shen Buhai ( 385–337 v. Chr.), chinesischer Philosoph aus der Zeit der Streitenden Reiche, aus dem Reich Zheng Shen Dao, ein chinesischer Philosoph aus …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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