Familiar Strangers

This volume collects sixty-four essays by the author, including The Perfect Assumption, Dreams of a Night Walker, Antinomies in Literature, Reading Hygiene Guidelines, and When Robots Form a Writers' Association. The book is divided into three sections: "e;On Society and History,"e; "e;On Life and Morality,"e; and "e;On Literature and Culture."e;Essays have been Han Shaogong's primary literary form over the past two decades, offering profound reflections and incisive critiques of China's social and cultural transformation during its transition period. His work carries a weighty sense of the times and possesses a profoundly moving human dimension.Through realist brushstrokes, he captures life's realities and reflections; through the tension of his thought, he engages in philosophical speculation and profound intellectual enlightenment; and through his unique linguistic artistry, he offers insights into human nature and historical inquiry. Some representative works, with their distinctive style and strong individuality, rival the finest essays since the May Fourth Movement. They demonstrate extraordinary wisdom and profound contemplation across various themes-society and history, life and morality, literature and culture.