Ba
Jin
Ward Number 4: A Novel of Wartime China
Ward Number 4: A Novel
of Wartime China by Ba Jin, translated by Haili Kong & Howard
Goldblatt, CHINA BOOKS & Periodicals, paperback, 150pp, ISBN
0-8351-2646-3, $30.95
A large gap in the English translation of modern Chinese literature has been filled with the publication of Ward 4. The last remaining major work of this towering figure of 20th century China at last is available in English. A large gap has been filled with the addition of this significant piece to the literature of 1940s China when the Second World War and the Chinese Revolution meant few works of lasting worth saw publication. This short novel (which Ba Jin called "one of my three favourites") is destined to become a favourite of his many readers.
In addition to the novel, the
translators provide an introduction to Ba Jin’s work, a chronology of
his life and works, and a bibliography of his significant works in English
translation. Ba Jin (the pen name of Li Feigan) is now 95 and lives in
Shanghai. He is widely considered China’s greatest living author.