Reputation

Name: Reputation
ISBN: 9787559827999

唐诺Guangxi Normal University Press · ChinaApr 2021

4.3

Word count: 172K words
Chapters: 98
ISBN: 9787559827999

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Summary

The acclaim and admiration that poured in years after Benjamin's death—if only a little could have been diverted to his lifetime, he would not have had to live so miserably, nor take his own life in despair in his forties in the Pyrenees on the French border. Of course, what could have rescued him was not fame directly, but what fame could be exchanged for: some money, or a passport. Many such stories come to mind—Van Gogh, and Poe. Fame is just a rope; it may be worthless in itself and a bit pretentious, but it tethers many valuable people and things. Tang Nuo's new work "Reputation" is a simple reflection on reputation, wealth, and power; what it truly cares about is the shape and predicament of reputation today—between a world ruled by wealth and a world ruled by power, which is the harder present predicament for reputation? He treats this as a small pamphlet, limiting himself to the level of common sense and working with common-sense materials. The books cited this time, such as "Walden," "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Père Goriot," and "Around the World in Eighty Days," are ones ordinary readers are as likely as possible to remember. In his own way, Tang Nuo tries to gather and connect the scattered bits of common sense, fill in the gaps between them, tamp them down as solidly as possible, and hopes each will "return" to its more proper place.

Editor's review

Tang Nuo's "Reputation" is not a book that offers answers but an exercise in thinking with common sense as its tool. Starting from the fortunes of Benjamin, Van Gogh, Poe, and others, he asks what reputation actually is, why it always arrives late, and how the wealth and power to which reputation is tied have shaped the present predicament. The book deliberately limits itself to the level of common sense, citing works readers are somewhat likely to remember, such as "Walden," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "Père Goriot," and in Tang Nuo's distinctive relaxed style gathers and links scattered common sense, trying to fill in the gaps. Its value lies not in system-building but in demonstrating a way of thinking: taking grand words apart and weighing them back in concrete people and situations. It suits slow reading on a quiet afternoon, a few pages at a time with pauses for thought, rather than chasing conclusions in one sitting. For readers used to being fed opinions, the book may seem circuitous; but for those willing to think alongside a writer, it offers rare intellectual companionship.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Tang Nuo's essayistic argument and are willing to think slowly with the author
General readers interested in reputation, fame and fortune, and the fate of writers
Those who have read biographies of Benjamin, Van Gogh, and others and want another angle on their fortunes
Readers who want some systematic common-sense thinking beyond fragmented reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous academic argument or clear conclusions
Readers who prefer fast-paced narrative and need plot momentum
Beginners unfamiliar with literary allusions and common-sense references

Reading tips

Read it as essays, one or two pieces at a time, pausing afterward to recall examples of reputation around you.
For works cited such as "Walden" and "Père Goriot," note the titles first and return to them after finishing this book.
Keep a pen handy to mark sentences that make you hesitate or disagree, and revisit those marks after finishing.

About the publisher

Guangxi Normal University Press China · Founded in 1986

Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
说明
从汉娜·阿伦特的愤怒开始
消逝中的死后声誉
契诃夫的笑声
一个预言性的时代真相
愈来愈不可能掉入的陷阱
幸福以自身为目的
所谓的绝对需求
往上去就是自由
孔子、子路、颜渊
两个立即可见的困难
一次有关绝对需求的实验
东西还可以更少
扭曲、模糊、消失的生存底线
并没有人饿死冻死的悲剧故事
只是想跟别人一样
不可能做到的允诺
财富这一头开始翘起来了
加西亚·马尔克斯的异想天开
权势真的这么值得拼死护卫吗？
以国为单位的权势和以世界为单位的财富
继承钱远比继承权容易
抑商
很少人想成为桑弘羊
奥普拉掏出来什么？
财富的力量展示，且持续增强
要怎么运送出去？
轻灵起来的财富
找出一种最适合当货币的东西
为什么不是更富用途的铁？
货币诡计生于、藏于信用里
货币创造出的利益
汉武帝的一个货币诡计
从多余之事到攸关生死
不是鸦片，是货币才对
《环游世界八十天》的真正福音
买来的天空
完全不矛盾的资本主义矛盾
只是为着资本形成
当钱多到超过某一个点
积攒在天上的财宝
聚宝盆
当然企业仍会失败
大到不能倒
总是要问，一个人为什么可赚这么多钱？
富贵列车
声誉只是一根绳子
报称系统
让声誉独立出来
无法一次解决
式微的宗教和历史，以及大时间
打造一条友善的时间甬道
你只能活两次
声誉，比较怕权势还是怕财富？
对民主的再一次承诺
怪哉怪哉
死狮与活狮
不能自由选择顾客的日本国铁
斯密先生vs.斯密先生
同一只手
停下来读首诗：《我的一生》
特别的人和不怎么特别的人
“国家这东西最终会消失”
如登与如崩
失去的技艺
稠密性与完整感
不仅仅是知识总量和分工的问题而已
业余化倾向的世界
尝试着把国家视为中间层级
我用一个编辑和读者的位置来看
世袭化的民主政治
民主选举像是“洗权”了
加进两种现实可能
民主政治得多花这笔钱
一九六八·我童年的“民主选举”回忆
愈来愈需要财富的权力结构
用钱把权力买过来
权势世界的新窄门
不再用自己的钱选举
当世成佛
大时间
另一种“不要命的自负”
不庄严、不华丽、不足称羡
百货公司里的天堂
牛虻
请你驻留
失意的人
经济不好的日子，什么能保卫我们？
站在财富、权势和声誉交锋的位置
两千的奇迹而今安在哉？
从两千到五百，死亡之书
不再假装、也应该不会回来的读者
从读者到消费者
追着书的脚印
可是他们都死了啊
本来就不倚赖声誉报偿的书写
最终，书写者该过什么样的日子？

FAQ

Is this a systematic academic study of reputation?

No. The author considers it a small pamphlet, limiting himself to the level of common sense and working with common-sense materials. It is a scattered reflection, not systematic academic argument, and readers should not open it expecting definitions or frameworks.

Can I read it without having read Benjamin or Van Gogh?

Yes. Most works cited, such as "Walden," "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Père Goriot," and "Around the World in Eighty Days," are ones ordinary readers are as likely as possible to remember, and the author deliberately lowers the threshold. If you are unfamiliar with a particular writer, skipping the relevant passages does not hinder understanding the overall line of thought.

Why does the book repeatedly discuss wealth and power?

The author's concern is the shape and predicament of reputation today: between a world ruled by wealth and a world ruled by power, which is the harder present predicament for reputation? Wealth and power are the key backdrop for understanding how reputation is exchanged and deferred, and thus run through the whole book.

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About the author

唐诺 Author

Tang Nuo is a Taiwanese writer whose work centers on reading, language and literature. His personal information is limited in publicly available sources, but the seven titles represented here show him moving across essays, language and writing, classics and literary appreciation, writing about books as well as about the methods and pleasures of reading. The Story of Writing turns to the origins and meanings of Chinese characters, while Rereading: Meeting 14 Writers in a Café revisits famous authors and works in essay form. The End and Before My Eyes: Wandering in the World of the Zuo Tradition begin from classics and ancient texts and unfold into extended reflection and roaming. His prose is unhurried and expansive, favoring close reading within everyday settings and turning reading experience into accessible narrative, giving him a certain influence among readers of literary essays and general writing on reading.