Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts is a collection of short prose pieces by Sanmao, first published in March 1985 by Crown Publishing in Taipei as no. 1106 of the Crown Library and vol. 16 of the Complete Works of Sanmao; the common simplified-character mainland edition is the June 2003 Harbin Publishing House edition, vol. 12 of the Complete Works of Sanmao, running to about ninety thousand characters. Unlike works such as Stories of the Sahara, which center on foreign travel and encounters with people, this book tells almost no stories; instead it offers random thoughts on fourteen topics: children, happiness, the years, wounds, oneself, accepting one's lot, men and women, money money money, love, people, without intent, with intent, if, and friends. In short paragraphs Sanmao sets down her views on life, emotion, gender, money, solitude, and human relations, in language that remains direct and brisk, carrying her distinctive wit and sensibility and retaining much self-mockery and candor. The discussions are not systematic philosophy but thoughts that surface at any moment in life: open-mindedness about the passing of the years, the dilemma of becoming or not becoming a mother, the choice between "keeping the tiles whole" and "shattering the jade" between husband and wife, the tug of war between money and freedom. What the reader encounters is not only opinions but the honesty of a writer facing herself. The book ends with A Chronicle of Sanmao's Life, which may serve as a reference for understanding her life and the arc of her writing.