Zhou Zuoren - Shu Sakujin

A Chinese prose writer. He was known by many pen names, including Qiming and Zhitang. He was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Following his older brother Lu Xun, he studied in Japan in 1906 (Meiji 39) and studied at Rikkyo University. During this time, the brothers published two volumes of translated novels, "Anthology of Novels from Outside the Region." He returned to China just after the Xinhai Revolution (1911) and was later welcomed to Beijing University. In response to the literary revolution movement of the time, he gave the movement, which advocated the unification of spoken and written language, an individualistic humanistic content through his critiques such as "Literature of the People" and "Revolution in Thought." At the same time, he energetically introduced foreign literature, both ancient and modern, through three languages: Japanese, English, and Greek, and his simple translation style also made a great contribution to the formation of colloquial written language. As a writer, he saw the unique possibilities of free short prose in China from an early age, and throughout his life he left behind a collection of more than 20 lush essays, including "Book of Rainy Days" (1925). These essays represent the final high point of traditional literati writing, washed away by modern rationalism. From the mid-1920s, he distanced himself from the fiercely developing revolutionary movement, and while he continued to hold on to his original principles, he gradually became more reclusive and anti-temporal. However, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he unfortunately participated in Beijing's pro-Japanese government, and was imprisoned by the Nationalist government after the war.

He was released on the eve of the collapse of the regime (1949), and while in the People's Republic of China he was mainly engaged in writing books related to Lu Xun, such as "Lu Xun's Hometown" (1953), and translating Japanese literature. In Hong Kong he published his autobiography, "Memoirs of Zhitang" (1970).

[Hideo Kiyama]

"Lu Xun's Hometown," translated by Matsueda Shigeo and Imamura Yoshio (1955, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Talking about Japanese Culture," edited and translated by Kiyama Hideo (1973, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Kujuanki: Beijing's Chronicles - Zhou Zuoren and the Second Sino-Japanese War," by Kiyama Hideo (1978, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "The Sorrow of the Orientals: Zhou Zuoren and Japan," by Liu Anwei (1991, Kawade Shobo Shinsha)" ▽ "Zhou Zuoren Essays," translated by Matsueda Shigeo (1996, Tomiyama Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の散文作家。啓明、知堂などの別号のほか多くの筆名がある。浙江(せっこう／チョーチヤン)省紹興(しょうこう／シャオシン)の人。兄魯迅(ろじん／ルーシュン)に続いて1906年（明治39）日本に留学、立教大学に学ぶ。この間兄弟で翻訳小説集『域外小説集』2冊を出した。辛亥(しんがい)革命（1911）直後に帰国、のち北京(ペキン)大学に迎えられ、おりからの文学革命運動に呼応して「人の文学」「思想革命」などの評論により、言文一致を標榜(ひょうぼう)する運動に個人主義的ヒューマニズムの内容を付与した。同時に、日・英・ギリシア3か国語を通じて、古今の海外文学を精力的に紹介、その質実な翻訳文体は口語による文章語の形成にも大きな貢献をした。作家としては早くから自由な小品散文の中国独自の可能性を洞察、全生涯にわたって、『雨天の書』（1925）以下20余冊の鬱蒼(うっそう)とした随筆群を遺(のこ)した。それらは近代の合理主義に洗われた伝統的な文人筆記の最後の高峰の観を呈している。20年代中ごろから、激烈に展開する革命運動との間に距離を生じ、しだいに反時代的な隠逸の風を深める形でなお初心に執したが、日中戦争期間中、不幸にして北京の対日協力政権に参与、戦後国民政府の手で投獄された。

　同政権崩壊前夜（1949）に釈放され、人民共和国ではおもに『魯迅の故家』（1953）のような魯迅関係の著述と日本文学の翻訳に従事、香港(ホンコン)からは自伝『知堂回想録』（1970）などが出ている。

［木山英雄］

『松枝茂夫・今村与志雄訳『魯迅の故家』（1955・筑摩書房）』▽『木山英雄編訳『日本文化を語る』（1973・筑摩書房）』▽『木山英雄著『北京苦住庵記くじゅうあんき―日中戦争時代の周作人』（1978・筑摩書房）』▽『劉岸偉著『東洋人の悲哀―周作人と日本―』（1991・河出書房新社）』▽『松枝茂夫訳『周作人随筆』（1996・冨山房）』

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