Exclusive reveal: The truth of the peerless talented girl Zhang Ailing's later life, why is she unhappy after remarrying?
The bumpy fate of a literary genius: the loneliness and silence of Eileen Chang in her later years.
In the thirties of the twentieth century, on a cold morning in spring, the famous writer and translator Zhou Shoujuan discovered a literary genius in Shanghai who caused a sensation in the literary world, she was Zhang Ailing. Zhang Ailing, who was wearing a goose yellow half-arm satin shirt, handed over the manuscripts "Agarwood Crumbs" and "The Second Incense", which became the focus of the literary world at that time.
But the brilliance of this peerless talent only shone in that brief period, and a few years later, when the prosperity dissipated, Zhang Ailing quietly left Shanghai, moved to the United States, and remarried the American writer Lai Ya. However, the marriage was not a happy one. After Lai Ya suffered a stroke, Zhang Ailing had to devote herself to translating and writing movie scripts in order to support her family. Until Laiya's death in 1967, her work almost fell silent.
For this remarriage, Zhang Ailing is tight-lipped about it. However, she was finally able to devote herself to writing with peace of mind. The strange thing is that she put down her ** and devoted herself to translating "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Flowers of the Sea".
The Fountain of Dream of Red Mansions: Eileen Chang's unique vision for Dream of Red Mansions.
Zhang Ailing's grandfather Zhang Peilun was Li Hongzhang's son-in-law, and the family was once prosperous, but later the family was in the middle of the road, and the experience was quite similar to Jiafu. Such a life experience will inevitably deepen her identification and closeness to ** and its author.
His early fame was deeply influenced by Dream of Red Mansions, showing delicate beauty and a sense of "desolation". After seeing the fat criticism of "Dream of Red Mansions" in the United States, she excavated her deep-seated desire and spent ten years writing "Nightmare of Red Mansions". This is her only academic work, which profoundly examines the plot and characters of "Dream of Red Mansions" from the perspective of a family, emphasizing that it is creative rather than autobiographical.
Translating "The Legend of the Flowers of the Sea" has been Zhang Ailing's wish for many years. The book was read on her grandfather's desk when she was a child. She even sent her work "Yangge" to Hu Shi, expressing her wish to translate "Flowers of the Sea" into English. However, the translation process was fraught with difficulties, and she self-deprecatingly admitted that it might have been futile, even joking that she might write an essay entitled "Zhang Ailing's Five Commentaries on Dream of Red Mansions, Watching Officials Abandon Sea Flowers Three Times".
Unfortunately, the English version she had spent years translating was lost while moving and was not published in Chinese until 1981. The blow undoubtedly hurt her.
Talent: Zhang Ailing's hardships and perseverance in her later years.
Despite the pressures of life, Eileen Chang's creativity has not declined. In 1978, she published a short story describing the espionage and anti-adultery activities in the 40s, such as "Lust and Caution". However, since the 80s, she has stopped writing new works, and only in 1993 did she write her last work, "Comparative Notes".
In the early 90s, she moved to Los Angeles and opted for a secluded life. During this time, she refused to be interviewed and remained silent from the outside world. Even the closest friends have difficulty entering her world.
Since 1984, she has been plagued by lice and has suffered from ** disease. In order to escape the insect infestation, she moved frequently and was even forced to move again in 1988. During this time, her life was in trouble, and the reason why she refused to be interviewed was to avoid being seen as a "goldfish to be watched".
Lonely old age: the double torment of illness and soul.
Why did Zhang Ailing refuse to be interviewed?It turned out that since 1984, she was infested with lice in her apartment and suffered from ** disease. In order to escape the insect infestation, she moved frequently, and even the letters of her best friends did not bother to respond. In 1988, she finally found a good opportunity for healing under Sima Xin's introduction and settled in the apartment again. However, at this time, there was a factory garbage incident, which forced her to move again.
After that, she decided not to move, her new address was kept secret, and the only communication office was the old mailbox, making it difficult for the outside world to access her life.
Her physical condition deteriorated even more, and it took days to write even a letter. When she is physically and mentally lonely, the only person she can chat with is Lin Shitong, a friend introduced by Zhuang Xinzhi, but it is limited to the communication in **. She is almost cut off from the outside world, making it impossible for people to enter her life world.
The Last Silence of Life: The Final Chapter of a Peerless Talent.
After entering the 90s, Zhang Ailing was even more lazy to go out and pick up the pen. Around 1990, her aunt asked her to come back to Shanghai to visit relatives, but she declined, but sent her a sum of money to invite her to come to Los Angeles with her uncle. However, the two elderly men were nearly 90 years old and could not bear the hardships of the journey. Her aunt died in 1991, and since then, Zhang Ailing's surviving relatives have only one younger brother, who has basically no contact.
Eileen Chang has written about her Shanghai past in her lifetime, and her life in the United States seems to have nothing else to remember. Her only concern is her body and the release of her old work. She has become popular in mainland China and Taiwan again, but she is not proud of it, nor does she show off her identity as a writer.
Eternal Parting: The Final Chapter of the Peerless Talented Woman Zhang Ailing.
At the beginning of September 1995, 75-year-old Zhang Ailing knew that her life would come to an end, so she put her important belongings in a handbag and left them by the door. He died in a dream one day in a peaceful manner, and his body was found a few days later. Her last wisher, Lin Shitong, did exactly what she wanted, and without any ceremony, scattered her ashes into the Pacific Ocean.
Zhang Ailing's departure is the final ending of the life of a peerless talented woman. The works and biographies she left behind bear witness to her bumpy and glorious life.
The life of the peerless talented Zhang Ailing is embarrassing, and the article vividly outlines her bumpy experience from the first appearance of the literary world to her later years. Eileen Chang's literary talent attracted the attention of the literary world in the thirties of the last century, but this brilliance was only a brief moment in her life. After remarrying, her life fluctuated greatly, and these twists and turns gradually revealed sadness and silence in her later years.
The article reveals Zhang Ailing's deep connection with Dream of Red Mansions, and the similarity of her grandfather's life experience and Jiafu's experience strengthened her identification and closeness to ** and its author. Dream of Red Mansions became the source of her literary creation, which had a far-reaching influence. It took her decade to write, Nightmare of the Red Chamber, which showcased her unique understanding of this monumental work, and became her only scholarly work.
However, Eileen Chang's later life was full of loneliness and misfortune. After remarrying, in order to support her family, she devoted herself to translating and writing film scripts. After her husband Laiya suffered a stroke, she had to take on the responsibility of the family. This unhappy marriage brought her creative work to a low point, and few new works have been published for many years.
Zhang Ailing's life was secluded and lonely, especially in her later years. From the frequent movement to the infestation of lice, to the plague of ** disease, her life is full of pain. The article describes the scene of her refusal to be interviewed, from which her dissatisfaction with her life and her avoidance of the outside world can be felt. All this led her to choose seclusion in her later years, almost isolated from the world.
However, despite the ups and downs of life, Eileen Chang's creativity has not completely declined. In 1978, she published short stories such as "Lust and Caution", showing her still keen literary vision. However, due to the troubles of life, she stopped writing new works in the 80s, and only wrote her last work, "Comparative Notes", in 1993. The creation of this last part of her life expresses her memories of her family and the past, and also gives the reader a glimpse of the true side of her heart.
On the whole, Zhang Ailing's life has both literary brilliance and life ups and downs. Her deep understanding of the Dream of Red Mansions and the loneliness and misfortune of her later years have added profound connotations to her life. As a literary giant, she left many memorable works in her life, and her life experience has also become material for future generations to reflect and ponder.
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