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1、ShortStoriesMirroringContemporaryLifeFORChineseliterature,itisthebestoftimes,anditistheworstoftimes,toquotetheopeningsentenceofCharlesDickens’ATaleofTwoCities.LiterarycriticZhuDakelamentsthebleakwastelandthatliteraturehasbecome,whilepoetYeKuangzhenghassimplydeclare
2、ditdead.Yettheyear2011sawthepublicationof4,000fulllengthworksoffictioninChina.Morethan30,000writersalsoserializedtheirshortstoriesonlineandmadewritingtheircareers,accordingtotheAnnualReportonChinaLiterature2011-2012releasedbytheChineseAcademyofSocialSciences.Oneinc
3、ontrovertiblefactistherapidfall,duetoloweconomicoutput,inthenumberofpublishednovellas.ItwasagainstthisbackdropthattheChinaWritersPublishingGroupandChinaInternationalPublishingGroupproducedtheChineseLiteratureseriesasavehicleinwhichtoshowcaseandpublishinEnglishshort
4、storiesbyChina’8scontemporarywriters.Thefirstvolume,whichcameoutlastJuly,ismadeupofthefiveshortstories:We’reAllonCall;Runaway;PageFortythree;ClearSoupofGreens;andEmptyNest.Theirfocusisontheconcernsandconfusionscommonincontemporarysociety,includingextramaritalaffair
5、s,theempty-nestphenomenon(whereelderlymenandwomenarelefttolivealoneaftertheiroffspringhaveleftthefamilyhome),andthecontrolthathigh-techproductsimposeoneverydaylife.Thefirst,We’reAllonCall,describesthekindofcrisisthatarisesinanerawheresmartmachineshavegraduallycomet
6、odominatedailylife.GuiPing,alsoknownasPowerNeverOff,isadepartmentaldirectorinamunicipalgovernment.Toavoidtheseeminglyendlesscallsandmessagesthatoftenobligatehimtodofavorsforoldfriendsandclassmatesdistracthimfromhiswork,hechangeshisphonenumberandrevealsthenewoneonly
7、toafewfriends,relativesandcolleagues.AfteranentiredaywithoutcallsormessagesGuiPingfeels8anxiousandillateasetothepointofparanoia.Unabletostandthesilence,heeventuallyrevertstohisoldnumberandfeelsinstantreliefatbeingabletoreturntowhathasplainlybecomenormallife–onecons
8、tantlypunctuatedwithsocialinterruptions.Inanageofdramaticchange,GuiPing’scellphoneishisanchor,whereassexisthepathtoreassurancefortheprotagonistof
