Survival
Tags
Summary
What is especially valuable is that the book is not abstruse or difficult but written in an accessible yet witty style for the broadest general readership. Survival is a classic of Canadian literary history that appeals to both general and scholarly readers; after publication it became a guide to their own literature widely loved by Canadian readers, was translated into multiple languages, and became essential reading for foreign readers seeking to understand Canadian literature, prompting them in turn to think about how individual lives can write and bear witness to a culture uniquely their own.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers who want a systematic understanding of the themes and contours of Canadian literature
- Literature lovers who need a guiding framework before or after reading Canadian authors
- Readers interested in how a national literature recognizes itself and in literary criticism
- Writers or researchers on Canadian subjects who need an accessible introductory guide
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a reference work organized by author biography and publication chronology
- Those who read only contemporary Canadian bestsellers and have no interest in critical method
- Researchers seeking the latest scholarly surveys or contemporary theoretical frameworks
Reading tips
- Start with the general section on the "survival" theme, then read author chapters according to interest.
- Keep an anthology of Canadian writing at hand and read the original works alongside the relevant chapters.
- Make brief notes on the book's contrasts with American and English literature to help build a sense of coordinates.
- Do not force yourself to finish it in one go; use it as a guide map to consult in stages and revisit when reading the works.
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 2012年版《生存》序言 追忆生存
- 2004年版《生存》 序言
- 致敬
- 前言
- 这里有什么？为什么是这里？这里是哪里？
- 如何使用本书
- 第1章 生存
- 第2章 自然：妖魔
- 第3章 动物：受害者
- 第4章 原住民：作为象征的印第安人和爱斯基摩人
- 第5章 祖先的图腾：探险者与定居者
- 第6章 家庭肖像：熊面具
- 第7章 无效的牺牲：不情愿的移民
- 第8章 意外之死：失败的英雄、可疑的殉道者和其他不幸的结局
- 第9章 瘫痪的艺术家
- 第10章 冰妇和地母：石头天使和缺席的维纳斯
- 第11章 魁北克：燃烧的庄园
- 第12章 越狱和重新创造
- 引文出处
- 作家索引
- 译后记 旧雨新知话《生存》
FAQ
Can I understand this book without any background in Canadian literature?
Is this book a history of Canadian literature?
Can I still track down the authors and works discussed in the book today?
Comments
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About the author
Margaret Atwood is a renowned Canadian novelist, poet, and literary critic, born in Ottawa in 1939 and often called the "Queen of Canadian Literature." She has long been active at the forefront of international literary writing, and her work ranges widely, combining poetic language with a sharp observation of social reality. Her major works include The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, and Alias Grace; the Handmaid series and The Blind Assassin are especially influential, the former exploring women's condition through dystopian imagination and the latter revisiting memory and identity through intricate narrative. A two-time winner of the Booker Prize, she has 32 works listed in our catalog, covering novels, writing essays, and collected editions, as well as critical works such as Survival, showing the breadth of her writing across genres.
Zhao Qingqing is an author about whom limited public information is available. Only one work by this author is currently held in the collection, titled Survival, and it is commonly classified under foreign literature. Since the available information does not specify nationality, dates of birth and death, or an English name, and no verifiable biography, awards, or chronological list of works can be consulted, the author's personal background cannot be described in detail. As for Survival, judging from the title and its classification, the work may revolve around human existence in difficult circumstances and may carry the realistic concern and narrative tension often found in foreign literature; however, its specific subject matter, style, and literary influence would need to be confirmed against the text itself. Readers are advised to regard the author as one whose foreign literary work merits attention, while watching for further publication and bibliographic information that may offer a fuller picture of the author's writing and the work's value.
