Zhou Yang (literary theorist)

Summary

Zhou Yang or Chou Yang (November 7, 1908 – July 31, 1989), courtesy name Qiying (起应), was a Chinese literary theorist, translator and Marxist thinker, active from the founding of the League of the Left-Wing Writers in 1930. In the 1930s he was notable for his sharp disagreements with other leftist writers, including Lu Xun, concerning leftist literary theory.[1]

Zhou Yang
Traditional Chinese周揚
Simplified Chinese周扬

After the People's Republic of China was declared in 1949, Zhou became one of Mao Zedong's most-supported literary theorists.[1] His report, On the Military Tasks of Philosophy and Social Science Workers, delivered to Mao in 1963, was one of the catalysts for the Cultural Revolution.[2] However, during the late stage of the Cultural Revolution Zhou was himself imprisoned after falling out of favor.[why?] After the Cultural Revolution ended, he was rehabilitated and given new political offices. At that time he apologized to victims of his literary witch-hunt campaigns in the past. He also advocated the humanist aspects of Marxism within the Communist Party near the end of his life, and was attacked again for such views.[3]

Zhou also translated the works of Leo Tolstoy and other Russian writers into Chinese.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Lovell, Julia. "Introduction". In Lu Xun: The Real story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China, The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun. England: Penguin Classics. 2009. ISBN 978-0-140-45548-9. p.xxxii
  2. ^ John J. (1995). Science, Politics, and Social Practice. Springer. p. 18. ISBN 0-7923-2989-9.
  3. ^ "newcenturynews.com". ww38.newcenturynews.com.
  4. ^ Dillon, Michael, ed. (1998). China: A Cultural and Historical Dictionary. London: Curzon Press. pp. 386. ISBN 0-7007-0439-6.