Chapter 23 Preface to the Japanese Edition of "Tales of Love in the Dungeon"

A novel is a story.And no matter what kind of story, even if it is a myth or a fairy tale, it is also a kind of life experience.People love to read novels, probably because of this kind of psychology: the biggest regret of anyone, the irreparable and irreversible regret in life, is that everyone can only live the life he is destined for.No one can change into another person in the middle of life to live another life.Even the kind of transgender who borrows surgery, after changing gender, "she" is still him. "She" is always the same person as he.Therefore, if people want to enrich themselves and allow their short life to accommodate more life experiences, they can only rely on reading novels to expand their imagination, increase their life experiences, and make themselves smarter.

I can't say that Chinese contemporary novels are more interesting, but I can be sure that Chinese people's contemporary life is more tortuous and changeable than the lives of people in any other country.People from no other country have tasted so much bitterness and bitterness than contemporary Chinese.In fact, due to various reasons, Chinese novelists are far from fully reflecting it.This also requires a historical process.Perhaps in the future we will be able to look back more clearly.However, only the current Chinese novels can give foreign readers a glimpse of Chinese life. Of course, people don't read fiction for the same reasons as they read history or news reports.People still want the novel to be interesting, to be emotionally satisfying.I think that Japanese readers should like and understand Chinese novels very much.Because we have a common spiritual tradition, which is "Zen". "Zen" requires us to try our best to understand the unspoken meaning beyond the words.That is a realm that can only be understood but not expressed in words.

I only hope that Japanese readers will read the novel I am looking for.After putting down the book, I felt an indescribable feeling in my heart.You have added something in your heart, but this is not simply an understanding of the Chinese people, but an understanding of the whole life. But I don't want you to draw any conclusions.