This was the first time he’d met Qizi’s legendary ex-boyfriend Dadong, the fellow who had blown himself up mixing chemicals when he was manufacturing fake antiques. His hair was already white. He had a puffy face and a singular ebony pipe dangling from his mouth. He was a real expert on antiques. He had established a name for himself in the field, and earnt a fortune, so now he wanted to ‘try his hand at running a film company’.
Dadong had invited everyone to his party, mostly because preparations were complete for his company’s debut film. It was called Death Fugue, and they were about to go to an island to begin shooting.
He presented a short teaser, indicating that the film was mainly a solemn commemoration of and reflection on ‘the Tower Incident.’ It would not exclude his personal feelings toward Qizi. In fact, that could be said to be an important feature of the project.
‘If our generation continues to remain silent, this whole incident will be erased.’
Because of Yuan Mengliu’s close relationship with the central figures in ‘the Tower Incident’, Qizi, Hei Chun and the others, they had asked him to serve as the film’s literary advisor and had confirmed this with a letter of appointment. Mogen was responsible for the screenplay — he no longer showed traces of the beaten-up pained spirit Jia Wan’s betrayal had occasioned in him. Dadong and Mogen shook hands with Mengliu, and talked about the past with the enthusiasm of survivors.
Then everyone sat in their allocated seats as Suitang presided over a forum on ‘artistic freedom and urban violence.’ She had retired from her career as an anaesthetist and, taking up the mantle of poetry, had become a leader in Dayang’s ‘retro genre’ movement.
‘To free a person’s thought from a benevolent authority isn’t easy, because this sort of freedom requires one to walk away from the comfortable and alluring contexts bestowed by the authority, and to question the authority itself.
‘The past should not be forgotten. Sometimes art is the only means by which we may find out the truth, and the only tool flexible enough for its communication. Some may think that freedom of expression depends upon one’s environment, but I want to say to all poets and writers and artists that the environment shouldn’t be the real issue. The real environment is in your mind. If you have a flame in your heart, then you can make any kind of water boil. If you have enough talent you can find the secret path to freedom.’
Her voice, amplified to fill the room, was brimming with an embellished beauty.
About the Author and the Translator
Sheng Keyi was born in Hunan province in China in 1973 and now lives in Beijing. Death Fugue is her sixth and most recent novel, and the second, after Northern Girls, to be published in English translation. She has also written four collections of short stories. Highly regarded in China, her work has been translated into German, Korean, Japanese and Dutch.
Shelly Bryant lives in Singapore and Shanghai, working as a teacher, writer, researcher, and translator. She has translated two previous works of fiction by Sheng Keyi, Northern Girls and Fields of White, for Penguin Books, as well as titles for Epigram Publishing, the National Library Board in Singapore and Rinchen Books. She is the author of six volumes of poetry, and travel guides to the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai.
The translation and publication of this novel in English has been made possible by the generosity of Mr William Chiu, through a philanthropic gift to the University of Western Sydney Foundation Trust.