云中记 Revisited: Alai’s New EditionIlluminates the Power of Language
Five years after its initial publication,Alai’s acclaimed novel 云中记 (Cloud Chronicle) has returned with a new, revised edition. This re-release marks not only a significantmilestone for the book but also a testament to the enduring power of language in capturing the complexities of human experience.
云中记, a poignant reflection on the2008 Wenchuan earthquake, stands as a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The novel, however, was not born out of immediate inspiration. Alai, who witnessed firsthand the devastation of the earthquake,chose to wait a decade before embarking on the project. In his newly penned afterword, 写出光芒来 (Writing Out the Light), Alai explains this deliberate delay: I experienced the Wenchuan earthquake firsthand, witnessed themost shocking scenes of death, and bore witness to the most desperate and sorrowful moments. I also saw the most heroic struggles and selfless love in humanity’s self-rescue and mutual aid. Therefore, I often felt the urge to write, but I suppressed this urge many times because I couldn’t find the rightlanguage. For this, I had to bear the constant guilt that often came over me.
The turning point arrived on the tenth anniversary of the earthquake. The city of Chengdu, where Alai resides, came to a standstill as sirens blared, a collective moment of remembrance that unlocked a flood of emotions withinhim. All of Chengdu stopped, air raid sirens, car horns, train horns, ship horns, Alai recounts in his afterword. At that moment, the accumulated emotions poured out, and I was in tears. Over the past ten years, the memories of the disaster relief efforts and thereconstruction of the disaster area were instantly revived.
It was at this pivotal moment that Alai finally found the language he had been searching for. He closed the document of his current project and began writing 云中记, a novel that had been brewing within him for years.
Alai describes the languagehe sought as a 颂诗般吟唱 (hymn-like chant). He aimed to transcend the mere depiction of tragedy and instead illuminate the profound beauty and resilience of life in the face of adversity. I wanted to write about this disappearance, Alai explains, referring to the towns and villages thatwere lost in the earthquake. I wanted to write about this disappearance, not just to indulge in the melancholy of mourning, but to write about the dignity of life, to write out the light.
云中记 stands as a powerful testament to the transformative power of language. Alai’sdeliberate choice to wait a decade before writing the novel allowed him to find the right words to capture the depth of his experience and the enduring impact of the earthquake on his life and the lives of those affected. The new edition, with its insightful afterword, offers readers a deeper understanding of the creative process and the profound impact of languageon our understanding of the world.
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