SHEN Congwen Shěn Cóngwén 沈从文 1902–1988 Writer
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◀ Shanxi Province Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. SHEN Congwen Shěn Cóngwén 沈从文 1902–1988 Writer Shen Congwen wrote poetry, novels, essays, short stories, and novellas. After the Chinese Communist Party took control of the govern- ment in 1949, Shen was branded a conserva- tive, and his books were banned. orn in Fenghuang Chen (Phoenix Town), a scenic village populated by the Miao minority in Hunan Province, Shen Congwen briefly at- tended primary school and then went to a military train- ing camp to carry on the family tradition of soldiering. Shen began writing after witnessing the horrors of mili- Shen Congwen, pictured with his wife, the writer tary campaigns. At age twenty he went to Beijing, became Zhang Zhaohe; they were one of China’s most co-editor of the journal Modern Critic, and gradually famous literary couples. gained recognition for his literary talents. Shen wrote in many genres, including poetry, novels, and essays, but was best known for short stories and novellas, including published a renowned study. In the 1980s, as an old man, “Three Men and a Girl,” “The Lovers,” and “Gazing at Shen began to write again, and enjoyed a resurgence in Rainbows.” popularity, until his death. Like his contemporaries, Shen was influenced by Elizabeth VANDERVEN Western writers such as Guy de Maupassant, Anton Chek- hov, and James Joyce. Later he moved to Shanghai, where he continued to write. Shen’s main sources of inspiration Further Reading were the Chinese countryside, military life, and the Miao Nieh Hua-ling. (1972). Shen Ts’u n g - w e n . New York: minority ethnic group of Hunan. In 1949 Shen’s produc- Twayne. tive streak ended after the Communists took power. The Shen Congwen. (1982). The Chinese Earth: Stories by Shen Chinese Communist Party labeled Shen a conservative T s e n g - w e n (Ching Ti & R. Payne, Trans.). New York: and banned his books. For several decades Shen ceased Columbia University Press. to write fiction and instead studied porcelain making and Shen Congwen. (1995). Imperfect paradise (J. Kinkley, the history of Chinese costume, a subject about which he Ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1957 B Shenyang © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC ▶.