The Calligrapher

Name: The Calligrapher
ISBN: 9787530685983

罗志远Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJul 2026

3.2

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 11
ISBN: 9787530685983

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Summary

This is young writer Luo Zhiyuan's debut short story collection, comprising ten stories: "The Boxer," "The Calligrapher," "The Dreamer," "The Performer," "Qing Ge," "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Storyteller," "Second Uncle," "Old Jia," "The Street, the People, and the Dog," and "Qingming." Most of the stories are titled after some kind of "-er" or "-ist"—boxer, calligrapher, dreamer, performer—yet their subjects are mostly society's losers, loners, and drifters: an alcoholic who has lost his wife and children (the boxer), a young security guard bent on studying (the calligrapher), a teenage actress separated from her sister by death (the performer). The stories unfold largely around the area of "Taiping Street," where personal ties crisscross and characters meet and part, now together, now apart—recalling Joyce's Dubliners and Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

Editor's review

This is the first short story collection by young writer Luo Zhiyuan. Most of the ten stories are titled "The So-and-So," yet they portray frustrated people whose titles belie their names: an alcoholic who has lost his wife and children, a young security guard who longs to study, a young actress separated from her sister by life and death. The author turns the lens on the lonely and rootless around Taiping Street, weaving interlocking human ties into a portrait of a small town—one that echoes Joyce's Dubliners and Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio. Its value lies not in telling bizarre stories but in writing, with restrained, almost plain description, the dignity and stubbornness of ordinary people worn down by life. Emotions are not worn on the sleeve, yet the aftertaste accumulates from story to story. It is suited to slow, story-by-story reading in quiet moments, with no need to hurry. For readers who enjoy small-town narratives, ensemble characters, and contemporary young writing, this is a debut worth noting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who enjoy small-town ensemble portraits and stories of ordinary urban people
Readers interested in contemporary young writing and debut works by new authors
Readers who prefer restrained, plain description and lingering aftertaste in narrative
Readers who need short stories for commuting or bedtime reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plots, fast pacing, or twist endings
Readers unaccustomed to the perspective of the frustrated and a low-key tone
Readers who only want to read long, complete stories

Reading tips

Read through in the book's order, noting how Taiping Street characters echo across stories.
Pause after each story and reflect on the contrast between the characters' circumstances and the titles.
You might read "The Boxer" and "The Calligrapher" first to get a feel for the tone, then decide whether to read the whole collection.

About the publisher

Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Founded in August 1958 and restructured into Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. in 2009, Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House is known for publishing essays and fiction, and it hosts the journals Fiction Monthly and Essays. Its 757 titles in the library span classic works, culture, folk literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, foreign literature, and general biography. They include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Zhu Ziqing's selected essays and Classic Essays, Fu Lei's Twenty Lectures on Masterpieces of World Art, and a Chinese translation of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's Rashōmon, as well as cultural and performing-arts titles such as the illustrated Biography of Liang Qichao and A Dictionary of Crosstalk. Its authors include Lao She, Zhu Ziqing, Wu Qichang, Fu Lei, Xue Baokun, Gao Yucong, Wei Zhiqiang, and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

版权信息
拳击家
书法家
表演家
梦想家
青歌
一个青年小说家的自画像
二叔
老贾
街，人，和狗
清明

FAQ

Are the stories in this collection connected?

They are connected but not strongly dependent on one another. Most stories unfold around the area of "Taiping Street," and the characters and their human ties gather and scatter, forming a loose ensemble structure. Each story can be read independently, but reading in order makes it easier to appreciate the echoes between characters and space.

Is the title "The Calligrapher" about calligraphy?

No. In the book, "the calligrapher" refers to a young security guard who is determined to study; the title forms a contrast with his actual identity. Many stories in the collection are titled "The So-and-So," yet they portray frustrated and rootless people in society—this contrast is precisely the author's intent.

Is the style on the heavy side or the light side?

Overall it is restrained and low-key, writing about ordinary people worn down by life, with emotions not worn on the sleeve. Readers who prefer light, bright reading experiences may find the tone cold; readers who enjoy lingering narratives will find it easier to enter.

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About the author

罗志远 Author

Luo Zhiyuan is an author about whom limited public information is available; his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background have not been clearly recorded. According to the library's holdings, he has one work, The Calligrapher, which is classified as a social novel. This classification suggests that the work may take the professional identity of a calligrapher as its point of entry, using the characters' life circumstances and relationships to reflect social reality and the spirit of the times, with a realist tendency. As verifiable material is scarce, it is difficult to fully assess the overall scope of his writing, his style, or his literary influence; readers may begin with The Calligrapher to appreciate his narrative perspective and thematic concerns.