Events

Eileen Chang, or Zhang Ailing, (September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995) is considered by many as one of the greatest modern writers in China. In his book A History of Modern Chinese Fiction, the late Professor C.T. Hsia of Columbia University famously proclaimed Eileen Chang to be the most important and gifted Chinese writer to emerge in the forties and asserted that her book The Golden Cangue is “the greatest novelette in the history of Chinese literature”.

A descendant of the famous late Qing Dynasty statesman Li Hongzhang, Chang gained literary prominence as a novelist, essayist, and screenwriter in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the 1940s. She was adept at using the “trifling matters between the sexes” as the theme of her stories in depicting the desires, imaginations, and personalities of urban residents. Many of her novels have been adapted into critically-acclaimed movies, including the blockbuster Lust, Caution directed by Ang Lee.

To mark Eileen Chang’s centennial birthday, the Renwen Society presents a lecture by Dr. Yu Bin, professor at Nanjing University and author of the first biography of Eileen Chang published in mainland China. Following a brief introduction to Chang’s life and major works, Prof. Yu will devote the bulk of the lecture to the discussion of Eillen Chang’s Lust, Caution and the film adaptation of the novel by Ang Lee.

今年的9月30日是张爱玲诞辰100周年。为纪念这位中国现代著名作家，华美人文学会与美东时间10月3日晚8时至9时半（北京时间10月4日上午8时至9时半特邀南京大学文学院教授、张爱玲传》作者余斌博士做“从张爱玲的《色，戒》到李安的《色，戒》”纪念讲座。

张爱玲是当今整个华人世界影响最大的中国现代作家。哥大教授夏志清甚至称她为“今日中国最优秀最重要的作家”。鲁迅在大陆被尊为“祖师爷”，张爱玲在港台则稳坐“祖师奶奶”的交椅。她的小说新旧杂糅、雅俗共赏，当年在主流文学之外独树一帜，堪称奇迹。她的传奇人生、独特性情、入世近俗又冷眼旁观的立场，亦为人所乐道。作为现在仍被广泛阅读的少数中国现代作家之一，她的小说一直是电影改编的热门。2008年，根据《色，戒》改编的同名电影（李安导演）公映，甚至成为一个不大不小的事件，引发了又一波“张爱玲热”。

余斌教授在此次讲座中将简略介绍张爱玲其人其书，且以小说《色，戒》为例，透视张观人观世、审视人生、人性的独特视角，以及她如何移花接木，以一出谍战“美人计”来演绎她一向关注的男女之情。李安的电影是我们理解小说、理解张爱玲的一个参照，两相对比，李安给故事带来的暖色，越发衬出张爱玲解剖男女之情的冷峻。由此让大家知道，对人性、对男女之情毫不留情的解剖，正是张区别于其他作家的特别之处。

余斌教授现任教于南京大学文学院，博士生导师。著有《张爱玲传》《忘却斜阳上土堆》《事迹与心迹》《字里行间》《东麟西爪集》《提前怀旧》《旧时勾当》《去今未远》《有书和没书的日子》《南京味道》等书。《张爱玲传》系中国大陆最早出版的较权威的张氏传记。