Writing in My Hometown

Name: Writing in My Hometown
ISBN: 9787559490506

毕亮Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJul 2026

Rating 2.8

Word count: 92K words
Chapters: 17
ISBN: 9787559490506

Summary

Read the works, follow the stories, savor the lives. *Writing at Home* collects interviews with 15 contemporary writers who have long lived in Xinjiang, spanning the 1950s to the 1990s generations, and whose work covers fiction, essays, poetry, translation, and other forms of literary creation. The interviews center closely on the writers' works and their literary practice.

Entering contemporary literature through conversation is an easy way to get to know outstanding writers and their representative works. The author draws out their valuable life experience and their original, deep creative drives: When did they first resolve to write? What awakened them to literature? How do they hold fast to their inner world when the outside world is in turmoil?

Editor's review

What makes this book stand out is its double span across region and generation. Fifteen writers who have long lived in Xinjiang, from the 1950s to the 1990s generations, write fiction, essays, poetry, and translation; the interviews revolve around their works and literary practice yet never settle into résumé-style questions and answers. The author cares about more fundamental questions: when the resolve to write took shape, where literary awakening came from, and how one holds the inner world steady amid the turbulence of the outside world. These probings give the interviews a significance beyond single-author studies, letting readers glimpse how writers of different generations each found their own spiritual path on the same land. Entering contemporary literature through conversation is easy and rewarding, suited to readers curious about the literary landscape of Xinjiang and to writers who want to understand what drives literary creation. The language is light; the book can be dipped into at random or read straight through by generation to compare the literary choices of several generations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in contemporary Xinjiang literature and regional writing
Aspiring writers who want to understand creative drives and literary awakening
Students of Chinese literature and literary scholars, who can use it as interview material for the study of contemporary writers
Readers who enjoy the interview form and prefer dialogue-based reading

Not a good fit for

Academic readers expecting a systematic literary history or in-depth critical commentary; this book is primarily interviews
Readers who only want the original literary works and have little interest in writers' reflections on craft
General readers with no interest in either Xinjiang subjects or interviews with contemporary writers

Reading tips

Start with a writer you already know, then read straight through from the 1950s to the 1990s generations to compare generational differences
Before each interview, skim one or two of that writer's representative works; the conversation will be easier to follow
Note down the books credited with literary awakening in the interviews as leads for further reading
Carry it with you and read one or two pieces in spare moments; there is no need to keep a continuous pace

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

版权信息
赵光鸣：在生活中虚构，在虚构中生活
阿拉提·阿斯木：你可以忘记带水和馕，但是不能忘记带爱
黄毅：从日常节奏中写出我心目中的家乡精神
叶尔克西·胡尔曼别克：文学所寻找的正是对自然和生命的关注
阿苏：在诗歌中寻觅安静
毛眉：我的文学之路就是沿着新疆地貌进行摸索
郁笛：新疆辽阔而丰饶的大地养育了我
熊红久：没有任何一段经历对作家而言是无用的
李颖超：从现实中脱离出来构筑属于自己的人间殿堂
张映姝：文学说到底还是“人学”
玉苏甫·艾沙：翻译是搭建文学交流的彩虹桥
王族：文学是无穷尽的，是生活的一部分
李春华：克拉玛依承载了我的文学梦想和生活
蔡淼：我所能做的就是记录
毕亮：十年读汪
后记

FAQ

How many writers' interviews does this book collect?

It collects interviews with 15 contemporary writers who have long lived in Xinjiang, spanning the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s generations. Their work covers fiction, essays, poetry, translation, and other literary forms, and the interviews center closely on the writers' works and their literary practice.

Can I understand it without having read these writers' works?

Yes. The interviews unfold as conversations, and the author asks broadly applicable questions about the resolve to write, literary awakening, and creative drives, without depending on familiarity with specific works. Of course, reading one or two representative works by the relevant writer first will give you a fuller understanding of the creative background discussed in the interviews.

What do the interviews mainly discuss?

The interviews revolve around the writers' works and literary practice, focusing on drawing out their life experience and deep creative drives: when they resolved to write, what awakened them to literature, and how they hold fast to their inner world when the outside world is in turmoil. These topics let readers understand the writers themselves and their writing, not just plot summaries of their works.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

毕亮 Author

Bi Liang is a writer about whom relatively limited public information is currently available. One work by this author is included in the collection: a piece of documentary literature titled Writing at Home. Judging from the title and its common classification, the book approaches the theme of "writing at home" through a documentary approach, and may explore the relationship between writers and their native places, how local experience enters into writing, and the observation and recording that come from being rooted in one place. Because the author's biographical details, nationality, and English name are not clearly documented, a more specific account of their background and creative development cannot yet be given. Readers may take Writing at Home as an entry point for understanding the author's writing orientation: it belongs to the category of documentary literature, focuses on real experience and local perspectives, and is suitable for readers interested in regional writing and nonfiction. If more public information becomes available, it may be used to further supplement the full picture of the author's work.