Ruined dun in Loch Steinacleit on the Isle of Lewis

Dun (from Irish dún or Scottish Gaelic dùn respectively, meaning fort, and cognate with Old Welsh din, from which Welsh dinas "city" is derived) is now used both as a generic term for a fort (mainly used to describe a sub-group of hill forts) and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse. In some areas they seem to have been built on any suitable crag or hillock, particularly south of the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth down across the border into Northumberland.

Dúns feature prominently along some coastal areas of the West of Ireland, particularly Co. Mayo and feature in legendary Celtic tales as the forts of the tribal kings of the tuatha. The tale of the Táin Bó Flidhais features Dúns of Flidais, Dun Chiortáin and Dún Chaocháin.

Duns, as forts, appear to have arrived with the Brythonic Celts in about the 7th century BC, associated with their Iron age culture of warrior tribes and petty chieftains. Early Duns had near vertical ramparts constructed of stone laced with timber, and where this was set on fire (accidentally or on purpose) it forms the vitrified forts where stones have been partly melted, an effect that is still clearly visible. Use of Duns continued in some cases into the medieval period.

Duns, as roundhouses, share many characteristics of brochs (often including galleries and stairs), but are smaller and probably would not have been capable of supporting a very tall structure. Very good examples of this kind of dun can be found in the Western Isles of Scotland, on artificial islands in small lochs.

Toponymy[link]

The word in its original sense appears in many place names, and can include fortifications of all sizes and types, for example, Din Eidyn, in Gaelic Dùn Èideann which the Angles renamed Edinburgh, Dún na nGall in Ireland (Irish Gaelic: "fort of foreigners") renamed Donegal by English planters, and the Broch Dun Telve in Glenelg.

• Dundee, Dunfermline, Dunbarton
• Donegal
• Dunedin
• Duns
• Singidun
• London

Gaul[link]

The Proto-Celtic form is *Dūno-,^[1] yielding Gaulish δου̃νον.^[2] It is ultimately cognate to English town.^[3] The Gaulish term survives in many toponyms in France and Switzerland:

• Lyon < Lugdunum.
• Nevers < Noviodunum
• Yverdon < Eburodunum
• Verdun < Verodunum
• Thun < Dunum

References[link]

1. ^ Xavier Delamarre, Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise, ISBN 2-87772-237-6
2. ^ Ptolemy
3. ^ Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, ISBN 0-19-861112-9

• Scotland Before History - Stuart Piggott, Edinburgh University Press 1982, ISBN 0-85224-348-0
• Scotland's Hidden History - Ian Armit, Tempus (in association with Historic Scotland) 1998, ISBN 0-7486-6067-4

See also[link]

• Prehistoric Scotland

Sayat-Nova Սայաթ-Նովա
Soviet stamp from 1962 devoted to Sayat-Nova's 250 anniversary.
Born	Harutyun Sayatyan (1712-06-14)June 14, 1712 Tiflis, Kartli, Persia
Died	November 22, 1795(1795-11-22) (aged 83) Haghpat, Persian Empire
Occupation	Poet, ashik
Nationality	Armenian
Spouse(s)	Marmar

The tomb of Sayat Nova at the Cathedral of Saint George in Old Tbilisi

Sayat-Nova (Armenian: Սայաթ-Նովա; Persian: سید‌ نوا‎; Azerbaijani: سید‌ نوا / Səyyad Nova; Georgian: საიათ-ნოვა) (born as Harutyun Sayatyan (Armenian: Հարություն Սայադյան on 14 June 1712, Tiflis – died 22 September 1795, Haghpat), was an Armenian^[1] poet, musician and ashik who had compositions in a number of languages. His adopted name Sayat Nova meant "Master of Songs" in Persian.

Biography[link]

Sayat-Nova's mother, Sara, was born in Tbilisi, and his father, Karapet, either in Aleppo or Adana. He himself was born in Tbilisi. Sayat Nova was skilled in writing poetry, singing, and playing the kamancheh, Chonguri, Tambur.^[2] He performed in the court of Erekle II of Georgia, where he also worked as a diplomat and, apparently, helped forge an alliance between Georgia, Armenia and Shirvan against the Persian Empire. He lost his position at the royal court when he fell in love with the king's sister, and spent the rest of his life as an itinerant bard.

In 1759 he was ordained as a priest in the Armenian Apostolic Church. His wife Marmar died in 1768, leaving behind four children. He served in various locations including Tbilisi and Haghpat Monastery. In 1795 he was killed in the monastery by the invading army of Mohammad Khan Qajar, the Shah of Iran, for refusing to denounce Christianity and convert to Islam. He is buried at the Cathedral of Saint George, Tbilisi.

Legacy[link]

About 220 songs have been attributed to Sayat-Nova, although he may have written thousands more. His compositions assume the form of traditional Armenian songs^[3]. Most of his surviving songs are in Azerbaijani, the lingua franca of the Caucasus at that time,^[4] but he also wrote in Armenian, Georgian and Persian. He wrote all his known poems using the Georgian alphabet.^[5] A number of his songs are sung to this day.

In Armenia, Sayat Nova is considered a great poet who made a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry of his century. Although he lived his entire life in a deeply religious society, his poems are mostly secular and full of romantic expressionism.

In popular culture[link]

Sayat-Nova is considered by many to be the greatest ashik (folk singer-songwriter) that ever lived in the Caucasus.

• Composer Alexander Arutiunian wrote an opera called "Sayat Nova" about him.
• The 1968 Armenian film Sayat Nova directed by Sergei Parajanov follows the poet's path from his childhood wool-dying days to his role as a courtier and finally his life as a monk. It was released in the United States under the title The Color of Pomegranates. It is not so much a biography of Sayat Nova but a series of tableaux vivants of Armenian costume, embroidery and religious rituals interspersed with scenes and verses from the poet's life.
• A book on his life and work by Charles Dowsett was published in 1997 titled Sayat'-nova: An 18th-century Troubadour: a Biographical and Literary Study.
• The first translations of the Armenian odes of Sayat Nova in European languages was in France by Elisabeth Mouradian and the French poet Serge Venturini in 2006; the book was dedicated to Sergei Parajanov.
• There is a street and a music school named after him in Yerevan, Armenia, as well as an Armenian-American dance ensemble in the United States, a pond located in Mont Orford, Quebec, Canada.
• There is a restaurant in Chicago, frequented by Brett "Bizzy B" Ze'monster, called Sayat-Nova.

Bibliography[link]

• Charles Dowsett, (1997), Sayatʻ-Nova: an 18th-century troubadour: a biographical and literary study, ISBN 90-6831-795-4

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sayat-Nova (Armenian Wikiquote)

Armenian Wikisource has original text related to this article: Սայաթ Նովա

• Sayat-Nova Armenian Film
• Armenianmusicarch.com
• Love Song translated into English by Alice Stone Blackwell
• Classical Composers Database
• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Sayat-Nova in QWIKI [1]

Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane performing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on August 29, 2010.
Background information
Birth name	Radric Davis
Born	(1980-02-02) February 2, 1980 (age 32) Birmingham, Alabama
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Southern hip hop, gangsta rap
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	2005 – present
Labels	1017 Brick Squad Records, Asylum, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	1017 Brick Squad, Young Money, V-Nasty, Yo Gotti, Soulja Boy, Plies, Usher, Young Jeezy, E-40, French Montana, Maino, Jadakiss, CTE, Lil' Kim, Birdman
Website	www.guccimaneonline.com

Radric Davis^[1] (born February 2, 1980),^[2] better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released, and The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted was released in 2010, and is his highest charting album so far. Gucci Mane has released many other mixtapes and independent albums as well.

While serving a six-month jail term for assault in late 2005, Davis was charged with murder, though the charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence. In 2009, he served a year-long county jail sentence for violating probation for his 2005 aggravated assault conviction.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and later moved with his single mother to Atlanta. He enjoyed writing poetry as a child, and began rapping at age 14.^[1]

[edit] 2005–2006: Trap House and Hard to Kill

In 2005, Davis released his independent debut album entitled Trap House, which featured the successful single "Icy" with Young Jeezy. Disputes over the rights to this single caused a rift between the two artists. Hard to Kill followed in 2006. Hard To Kill included the hit single "Freaky Gurl". The song peaked at number 12 on the Hot Rap Tracks, number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at number 62 on the Hot 100.

[edit] 2007: Back to the Trap House

The official remix of Freaky Gurl featuring Ludacris and Lil Kim was included on his 2007 commercial debut album Back to the Trap House. Gucci Mane appeared on OJ da Juiceman's "Make Tha Trap Say Aye" and began working on various mixtapes.^[3] Gucci Mane signed to Warner Bros. Records in May 2009.^[4]

[edit] 2009–2010: The State vs. Radric Davis

He appeared on remixes of the songs "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas, "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey and "5 Star Chick" by Yo Gotti and made a guest appearance on Mario's "Break Up" (he has made 17 guest appearances total in 2009). Gucci Mane's second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released under the label Warner Bros. Records on December 8, 2009. Its first single, "Wasted" featuring Plies, was originally from Mane's 2009 mixtape Writing on the Wall. It peaked at number 36 on the Hot 100, number 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 3 on the Rap Songs making it Gucci Mane's most successful single to date. The second single is "Spotlight" featuring Usher. The third single is "Lemonade". The fourth single is "Bingo", featuring Waka Flocka Flame and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. On October 2, 2009, Gucci Mane was listed at number 6 on MTV's annual Hottest MC in the Game list.^[5]

Gucci Mane performing on August 29, 2010.

[edit] 2010–present: The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted and other projects

After being released from jail, Gucci Mane stated that he would start or change the label name from So Icey Entertainment to 1017 Brick Squad Records. The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted, was released on September 28, 2010.^[6] The first single from this release was titled "Gucci Time",^[7] produced by Swizz Beatz. It premiered on Gucci Mane's official MySpace page on August 6.^[8] The single also features Swizz Beatz and was released to US urban radio stations on August 24, 2010.^[9]

On March 18, 2011, Gucci Mane released his 10th EP, The Return of Mr. Zone 6, mostly produced by Drumma Boy.^[10] It debuted at #18 on the Billboard 200, and is his highest charting EP. The album also debuted at #2 on the Rap albums chart and #8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He also released a collaboration album with Waka Flocka Flame named Ferrari Boyz on August 5, Gucci's first collaboration album.^[11] It's first single is "She Be Puttin On" featuring late-fellow Brick Squad labelmate Slim Dunkin. Ferrari Boyz debuted at #21 on the Billboard 200. Gucci Mane released another collaboration album, this time with rapper V-Nasty, called BAYTL, on December 13.^[12] The album's first single is "Whip Appeal" featuring P2theLA.^[13] Three days after the album's release, while traveling to the video shoot of "Push Ups", a song from BAYTL featuring Slim Dunkin, the latter got into an argument with another person who shot Dunkin dead at an Atlanta recording studio.^[14] On February 5, 2012, Gucci Mane released his Trap Back mixtape. It features guest appearances from Yo Gotti, Rocko, Waka Flocka Flame, Jadakiss, 2 Chainz, and Future, the latter three recently appearing on Young Jeezy's third studio album Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition. The first single is the mixtape's title track.^[15] Music videos have been filmed for the songs "Quiet", "Face Card", "In Love With a White Girl" featuring Yo Gotti, "Chicken Room" featuring Rocko, and the title track, and "Sometimes" featuring Future.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]} Trap Back has been met with positive reviews so far, scoring a 7.8 from Pitchfork Media, a 7.5 from AllHipHop, and an "L" from XXL.^[22][23][24]

Legal issues[link]

2001[link]

In April 2001, Davis was arrested on cocaine charges and sentenced to 90 days in county jail.^[25]

2005[link]

On May 10, 2005, Davis was attacked by a group of men at a house in Decatur, Georgia. Davis and his companions shot at the group, killing one. The corpse of one of the attackers, Pookie Loc, was found later behind a nearby middle school. Davis turned himself in to police investigators on May 19, 2005, and was subsequently charged with murder. Davis claimed that the shots fired by him and his party were in self-defense.^[25] The DeKalb County district attorney's office dropped the murder charge in January 2006 due to insufficient evidence. The previous October, in an unrelated matter, Davis had pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated assault for assaulting a nightclub promoter the previous June; at the time the murder charge was dropped, he was serving a six-month county jail sentence for this.^[26] Davis was released from jail in late January 2006.^[1]

2008[link]

In September 2008, Gucci Mane was arrested for a probation violation for completing only 25 out of 600 community service hours following his 2005 arrest for aggravated assault. He was sentenced to a year in the county jail but was released after six months.^[27] He was incarcerated in the Fulton County jail for probation violation^[28] and released on May 12, 2010.^[29]

2010[link]

On November 2, 2010, Gucci Mane was arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road, running a red light or stop sign, damage to government property, obstruction, no license, no proof of insurance and other traffic charges. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.^[30]

2011[link]

On January 4, 2011, A judge in the Superior Court of Georgia’s Fulton County ordered rapper Gucci Mane to a psychiatric hospital, according to court documents. The documents reveal that his lawyers filed a Special Plea of Mental Incompetency on Dec. 27 arguing that he is unable “to go forward and/or intelligently participate in the probation revocation hearing.” ^[31]

On September 13, 2011, Davis was given a six month county jail sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of battery, two counts of reckless conduct and one count of disorderly conduct.^[32]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2007: Back to the Trap House
• 2009: The State vs. Radric Davis
• 2010: The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2011: Ferrari Boyz (with Waka Flocka Flame)
• 2011: BAYTL (with V-Nasty)

EPs[link]

• 2009: Wasted: The Prequel

Compilation albums[link]

• 2008: Hood Classics

Independent albums[link]

• 2001: La Flare
• 2005: Trap House
• 2006: Hard to Kill
• 2007: Trap-A-Thon
• 2009: Murder Was the Case
• 2011: The Return of Mr. Zone 6

Mixtapes[link]

• 2006: Chicken Talk
• 2007: Bird Flu (Southern Slang)
• 2007: Ice Attack
• 2007: Ice Attack: Part 2
• 2007: No Pad, No Pencil
• 2008: EA Sportscenter
• 2008: Gucci Sosa
• 2008: Mr. Perfect
• 2008: The Movie
• 2009: Bird Flu: Part 2
• 2009: The Movie: Part 2 (The Sequel)
• 2009: Guccitendo
• 2009: Writing's On the Wall
• 2009: The Burrrprint: 3D (The Movie: Part 3)
• 2009: The Cold War: Part 1 (Guccimerica)
• 2009: The Cold War: Part 2 (Great Brrritain)
• 2009: The Cold War: Part 3 (Brrrussia)
• 2010: Mr. Zone 6
• 2010: Jewelry Selection
• 2010: Gucci Classics
• 2010: Ferrari Music
• 2010: Buy My Album
• 2010: Burrrprint (2) HD
• 2011: Gucci 2 Time
• 2011: Writing's On the Wall 2
• 2012: Trap Back
• 2012: I'm Up

Collaboration mixtapes[link]

• 2007: Guapaholics (with Shawty Lo)
• 2008: Definition Of A G (with Yo Gotti)
• 2011: Brick Squad Mafia (with 1017 Brick Squad)
• 2011: Free Bricks small>(with Future)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gucci Mane

• Official website
• Gucci Mane on Myspace
• Gucci Mane at the Internet Movie Database

Shen Yanbing
Minister of Culture of the PRC
In office 21 October 1949 – January 1965
Premier	Zhou Enlai
Succeeded by	Lu Dingyi
Chairman of the Chinese Writer Association
In office 23 July 1949 – 27 March 1981
Succeeded by	Li Yaotang
Personal details
Born	(1896-07-04)4 July 1896 Jiejiang, Qing Empire
Died	27 March 1981(1981-03-27) (aged 84) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Relations	Shen Zemin (brother)
Alma mater	Peking University

Mao Dun (July 4, 1896–March 27, 1981) was the pen name of Shen Dehong (Shen Yanbing), a 20th century Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and journalist. He was also the Minister of Culture of China from 1949 to 1965. He is currently renowned as one of the best realist novelists in the history of modern China. His most famous works are Midnight, a grand novel depicting life in cosmopolitan Shanghai, and Spring Silkworms. He also wrote many short stories.

He adopted 'Mao Dun' (矛盾), meaning "contradiction", as his pen name to express the tension in the conflicting revolutionary ideology in China in the unstable 1920s. His friend Ye Shengtao changed the first character from 矛 to 茅, which literally means "thatch", to protect him from political persecution.

Early life[link]

His father Shen Yongxi (沈永錫) taught and designed the curriculum for his son, but he died when Mao Dun was ten. Mao Dun's mother Chen Aizhu (陳愛珠) then became his teacher. He mentions in his memoirs that "my first instructor is my mother". Through learning from his parents, Mao Dun developed great interest in writing during his childhood.

Mao Dun had already started to develop his writing skills when he was still in primary school. In one examination the examiner commented on Mao Dun's script: '12 year old young child, can make this language, not says motherland nobody'. There were other similar comments which indicate that Mao Dun had been a brilliant writer since his youth.

While Mao Dun was studying in secondary school in Hangzhou, extensive reading and strict writing skills training filled his life. He finished reading Illustrious Definite orders (《昭明文選》), Shi Shuo Xin Yu (《世說新語》) and a large number of classical novels. These novels influenced his writing style and his idea of writing.

Mao Dun entered the three-year foundation school offered by Peking University in 1913, in which he studied Chinese and Western literature. Due to financial difficulties, he had to quit in the summer of 1916, before his graduation.

The trainings in Chinese and English as well as knowledge of Chinese and Western literature provided by the fifteen years' education Mao Dun received had prepared him to show up in the limelight of the Chinese journalistic and literary arena.

Journalistic career[link]

After graduation, Mao Dun soon got his first job in the English editing and translation sections of the Commercial Press (商務印書館), Shanghai branch. At the age of 21, he was invitied to be the assistant editor of Xuesheng Zazhi (學生雜誌) (Students' Magazine) under the Commercial Press, which had published many articles about the new ideologies that had emerged in China at that time.

Apart from editing, Mao Dun also started to write about his social thoughts and criticisms. To some extent, he was inspired by the famous magazine New Youth. Like in 1917 and 1918, he wrote two editorials for Xuesheng Zazhi: Students and Society (學生與社會) and The Students of 1918, those were significant in stimulating political consciousness among the young educated Chinese.

At 24 years of age, Mao Dun was already renowned as a novelist by the community in general, and in 1920, he and a group of young writers took over the magazine Xiaoshuo Yuebao (小说月报), which translated means "fiction monthly", to publish literature by western authors, such as Tolstoy, Chekhov, Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, Byron, Keats, Shaw, etc., and make new theories of literature better known. Despite the fact that he was a naturalistic novelist, he admired writers like Leo Tolstoy, for their great artistic style.

In 1920, he was invited to edit a new column: Xiaoshuo Xinchao (小說新潮) (The Fiction-New-Waves) in Xiaoshuo Yuebao. He even took up the post of Chief Editor of the Monthly in the same year and was obliged to reform it thoroughly, in response to the New Cultural Movement (五四運動/新文化運動). His young writer friends in Beijing supported him by submitting their creative writings, translating Western literature and their views on new literature theories and techniques to the magazines. Wenxue Yanjiuhui (文學研究會) (Literature Study Group) was formed partly because of this. The reformed Monthly was proved to be a success. It had facilitated the continuation of the New Cultural Movement by selling ten thousand copies a month and more importantly by introducing Literature for life, a brand new realistic approach to Chinese literature. In this period, Mao Dun had become a leading figure of the movement in the southern part of China.

On the notion of content reformation, both the innovative and conservative parties in the Commercial Press could not make a compromise. Mao Dun resigned from the Chief Editor of Fiction Monthly in 1923, but in 1927 he became the chief columnist of the Minguo yuebao. He wrote more than 30 editorials for this newspaper to criticize Chiang Kai-shek, and to support revolutions.

Political life[link]

Inspired by the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Mao Dun took part in the May Fourth Movement in China. In 1920, he joined the Shanghai Communist Team, and helped to establish the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. At first, he worked as a liaison for the party. He also wrote for the party magazine 'The Communist Party' (共产党).

At the same time, Mao Dun participated in Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition (1926–1928), the main purpose was to unite the country. He quit, however, when Chiang's Kuomintang broke with the Communists. In July 1928, he went to Japan in order to take refuge. As he returned to China in 1930, he joined the League of the Left-Wing Writers. Later, China went to war with Japan and he actively engaged in resisting the Japanese attack in 1937. In 1949, the communist government took over and he was responsible for working as Mao Zedong's secretary and Culture Minister until 1964.

As a literary man[link]

Xiaoshuo Yuebao Reform was Mao Dun's first contribution to Chinese literature. The magazine then became a place where "New Literature" circulated. Many famous writers like Lu Xun, Xu Dishan, Bing Xin, Ye Shengtao, had their works published through it. Mao Dun supported movements such as "New Literature" and "New Thinking". He believed that Chinese literature should have a place in the world.

The experience of political conflict broadened his horizon in literature, therefore the theme of his later writing was mostly based on this. He then helped to found the League of Left-Wing Writers in 1930. After that, he worked together with Lu Xun to fight for the right of the society and the revolutionary movement in literature. The harvest period of Mao Dun's writing is considered to have been from 1927 to 1937.

Shi, the first actual novel written by Mao Dun, was composed of three volumes, Huanmie (1927), Dongyao (1928), and Zhuiqiu (1928). It is the story of a generation of young intellectuals, who are caught up in the world of revolutionary fervor without a true understanding of the nature of social change. Mao Dun participated in Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition (1926–28) in an attempt to unite China, but this failed and he fled to Kuling, when the Kuomingtang dissolved relations with the Chinese Communist Party. In the 1930s he was one of the key founders of the League of Left-Wing Writers, which was dissolved in a quarrel in 1936.

Mao Dun's next major work was Hong (1929), which became famous for having no less than 70 main characters and numerous plot twists and turns. In 1933 came his next grand work, Midnight, which gained great popularity, to a point that it was also published in French and English, and it allowed to develop a sense of revolutionary realism. He left a work unfinished, the trilogy Shuangye Hongsi Eryuehua (1942). After the initiation of the Sino-Japanese War War in 1937, Mao traveled to many places and started a literary magazine in Wuhan. He edited the periodical Literary Front and the literary page of the newspaper Libao in Hong Kong and worked as a teacher. After 1943 Mao Dun did not produce any major works, but still wrote some articles and essays. In 1946 he visited the Soviet Union.

In 1927, he published his first novel, Disillusion (幻滅). His most famous and important novel, Midnight (子夜), was published in 1933. It is a naturalistic novel exploring the commercial world of Shanghai in detail. In addition, his fiction offered a sympathetic portrayal of working-class life and praise of revolution.

When the People's Republic of China was established by the Communist Party of China in 1949, he became active on several committees and he worked as the Secretary and then the Minister of Culture for Mao Zedong until 1964. He started the monthly literary journal Chinese Literature, which became the most popular for western readers. He was dismissed from his position as minister in 1964 due to the ideological upheavals. Despite this fact, Mao Dun survived the Cultural Revolution and was afterwards rehabilitated. In the 1970s he became an editor of a children's magazine, and began working on his memoirs, which were serialized in the Party publication, the quarterly Xinwenxue Shiliao (新文學史料) (Historical Materials on New Literature), but he died on March 27, 1981 before he could finish it. His influence on Chinese literature continues to the present day because he used his savings to set up a fund called the Mao Dun Literature Scholarship to promote an atmosphere for writing fiction.

Mao Dun's achievements in literature were also seen at his 50th birthday, which was also the 25th anniversary of his literary life. More than five hundred guests came to celebrate with him. Russian and American friends also joined the celebration. Wong Roufei wrote an essay as congratulations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Dun's influence and achievements in the literary field were witnessed. On the other hand, he was twice elected as the chairman and then once elected as the vice-chairman of the China Literary Arts Representative Assembly. His status in the literary field has been highly recognized. Although he suffered great pain from illness in his old age, he still kept writing his memoirs, called The Road I Walked (我走過的路).

Besides his achievements, Mao Dun also had great influence on Chinese literature. The Mao Dun Literature Prize (茅盾文學獎) was created due to Mao Dun's wish that outstanding novels should be encouraged and communist literature should be promoted. It is one of the most honorable literature awards in China. Many famous modern Chinese literary authors like Wei Wei (魏巍) and Zhou Ke-qin (周克芹) have received the prize.

List of works[link]

Mao Dun has over 100 publications throughout his life, which includes short stories, novels, theories etc. Some of his most famous works include:

Short stories[link]

• Wild Rose (《野薔薇》 Ye Qiangwei (1929)
• The Smoke and Cloud Collection 《煙雲集》 Yanyunji (1937)

Novellas[link]

• Disillusion 《幻滅》 Huanmie (1928)
• Three people walking San Ren Xing, 《三人行》 Sanrenxing (1931)
• The Shop Of the Lin Family 《林家铺子》 Linjia Puzi (1932)
• Spring Silkworms, 《春蚕》 Chuncan (1932)
• Autumn Harvest 《秋收》 QiuShou

Novels[link]

• Hong, 《虹》 Hong [Rainbow] (1930)
• Ziye, 《子夜》 ZiYe [Midnight] (1933)
• 《獻給詩人節》 XianGeiShiRenJie [Giving to the poet festival] (1946)

Theories[link]

• 《茅盾近作》 MaoDunJinZuo [The recent works of Mao Dun] (1980)
• 《茅盾論創作》 MaoDunLunChuangZuo [Mao Dun's Comment on Creativity] (1980)

Essays[link]

• 《蘇聯見聞錄》 SuLianJianWenLu [Travelling Diary of USSR] (1948)
• 《雜談蘇聯》 JiTanSuLian [Talks on USSR] (1949)

Drama script[link]

• Qingming Qianhou, 《清明前後》 QianMingQianHou [Front and rear Pure Brightness] (1945)

Translation[link]

• 話劇《俄羅斯問題》(Modern drama "Russian Question") (1946)
• 中篇小說《團的兒子》(Novelette "Group's Sons") (1946)

Others[link]

• 《茅盾全集》 Mao Dun Quanji [Works of Mao Dun] (vol. 1-15, 1984–1987)
• 《茅盾書簡》 Mao Dun Shujian [Introduction to the books of Mao Dun] (1st edition, collection of letters, 1984) later changed the name into《茅盾書信集》 Mao Dun Shuxinji (1988)
• Huanmie, Dongyao, Zhaiqiu (serialized in Xiaoshuo Yuebao, starting in 1927, published later as a trilogy under the title Shih)
• Lu^{[disambiguation needed ]}, 1932
• Chunchan, 1932-33 - Spring Silkworms and Other Stories
• Tzu-Yeh, 1933
• Shih, 1933 - The Cancer
• Zhongguo Di Yir, 1936
• Duojiao Quanxi, 1937
• Diyi Jieduande Gushi, 1937
• Fushi, 1941 腐蝕 "Putrefaction", about the New Fourth Army Incident
• Shuangye Hongsi Eryuehua, 1942
• Jiehou Shiyi, 1942

Further reading on Mao Dun[link]

• Chen, Yu-shih. Realism and Allegory in the Early Fiction of Mao Dun. (1986)
• Gálik, Marián. Mao Tun and Modern Chinese Literary Criticism. (1969)
• Gálik, Marián. The Genesis of Modern Chinese Literature Criticism. (1980)
• Hsia, C.T. A History of Modern Chinese Fiction. (1961)
• Li Pin. (李頻) Bianji jia Mao Dun pingzhuan (編輯家茅盾評傳) Kaifeng (開封): Henan University press (河南大學出版社), 1995. Available in HKU FPS library.
• Shao Bozhou, et al. ed. Mao Dun de wenxue daolu. (1959)
• Wang, David Der-wei. Fictional Realism in the Twentieth-Century China. (1992)
• Chinese Writers on Writing featuring Mao Dun. Ed. Arthur Sze. (Trinity University Press, 2010).

References[link]

• Books and Writers article on Mao-Tun
• Bartleby.com article on Mao-Tun
• Encyclopedia.com article on Mao-Tun
• Yahoo Encyclopedia article on Mao-Tun

External links[link]

• Mao Dun, Master Craftsman of Modern Chinese Literature by Fan Jun
• The Sad End of Mao Dun