About
Lu Xun, born Zhou Shuren in Shaoxing in 1881, studied medicine in Japan before turning to literature to heal the Chinese spirit. A leading figure of the May Fourth Movement, he published in 1918 the first short story in vernacular Chinese, 'Diary of a Madman,' a satire of Confucian culture. His work, marked by a critical view of society, includes short story collections such as 'Call to Arms' and 'Wandering,' polemical essays, and a history of Chinese fiction. He died in Shanghai in 1936.
* 1881-09-25 — † 1936-10-19
Major works
- Diary of a Madman (1918)short story
- The True Story of Ah Q (1921)novella
- Call to Arms (1922)short story collection
- Wild Grass (1927)prose poetry collection
- A Brief History of Chinese Fiction (1923)scholarly work
Key milestones
- 1918Publishes 'Diary of a Madman,' the first short story in vernacular Chinese.
- 1921Publishes 'The True Story of Ah Q,' his most famous novella.
- 1936Dies in Shanghai; his works are later praised by Mao Zedong.
Themes
Critique of traditional Chinese socAlienation and the human conditionCultural reform and modernizationSatire and ironyNationalism and political engagemen
Sources: britannica.com · cuhk.edu.hk
