Gao Xingjian as a writer (and a thinker?)

Traditional and Revolutionary Themes (from WorldLiteratures.com)



Some of the essays in the collection are accounts of personal history (“Wilted Chrysanthemums”) or explanations of his work (“About Fleeing”). Others are more philosophical in nature and place Gao’s ideas within the streams and currents of 20th century intellectual thought.
His work is characterised by the blending of classical Chinese literature with western literary and philosophical influences. Gao is interested in the psychology of his characters and in the moral ambiguity of their situations, a striking departure from the uses of literature demanded by the Cultural Revolution. Even in his most serious works, however, he writes with simplicity, clarity and a wry humour. These essays are brilliant and thought-provoking, which may at times make them hard going, but for those with the will to persevere and an interest in the mind of a masterful artist, the rewards are many.
Some of the finest literature is born of repressive regimes, and Gao’s work is a powerful example. In The Case for Literature, we have a view of a rich imagination and the aesthetic philosophy behind it. But more interestingly, we are given a rare glimpse of a thinker and an artist, and of a man who is keenly aware of the value words have to a life.