Recently, after many years of practice and professional experience, which have also seen the publishing of numerous of her short stories and her gradual recognition in literary circles, she has come full circle. She returned, five years ago, to the starting point, and has completed her first novel.
Like a Dream was Hsiao Sa's (a pen name which signifies the cool and soothing winds of autumn) breakthrough in writing, the realization of her own youthful dreams.
Her active writing career started at 16, when as a freshman at Taipei Normal School, Hsiao contributed her story, The Red Skirt, to a newspaper; it was published. Since then, she has been intoxicated with writing.
But her early works were really only to satisfy youthful longings for accomplishment. Even as a little girl, because she was not as adept at singing and dancing as many of her classmates, she was impelled to reveal her talents in story telling.
At 17, when most girls' accomplishments were still well within their imaginations, Hsiao had already published dozens of short stories- including her first collection, The Long Dike. Her life was busy and meaningful. Most of her short stories took youths as their subject matter, because she was one of them. What she thought about, dreamed about, and experienced everyday was included in her writings.
However, at 18, when she started to show greater literary maturity, Hsiao suddenly abandoned her pen. She almost "disappeared." It was not because her talent had dulled, rather because she made higher demands of herself. She was still as concerned about literary creation and continued to read as much as she could, nurturing future springs of inspiration. She remarked, "Once I became fascinated with writing, I could only adhere to it. For a writer, writing is irresistible.
In 1976, after she was graduated from the normal school, Hsiao went back to writing. "At that time," she recalled, "The United Daily named a new editor, and articles by new talent began to appear everyday." She decided to submit a story to this newspaper, and fortunately, her Tomorrow, Sunday Again was thus published.
Her pen had not only failed to suffer corrosion during its long "hibernation," but had become even sharper. The intervening period provided her a respite for observation, deeper thinking, and creative nourishment.
Since her reappearance in the press in May of 1976, Hsiao has written prolifically. In just half a year, she published a new collection of short stories, Night Scenes on Bright Days. In the spring of 1978, her readers were presented another collection, The Second Honeymoon. And in January of 1981, Hansheng, My Son was off the press.
She wrote as a mother before the birth of her child.
Her writings have probed married life, loneliness, the anatomy of misunderstanding, and the fears which spring from nowhere that afflict people in big cities. Novelist Chang Hsi-kuo believes, "Hsiao Sa excels particularly in portraying the complicated relationship between men and women in big cities." Novelist Ssuma Chung-yuan remarked, "In every one of her writings, content and style match perfectly, forging vivid and lasting appeal. Her use of words is refined, but mature, natural, and simple. She avoids the ornate. Yet, her short stories read not only smoothly, but elegantly.... "
While she was writing Hansheng, My Son, second-place winner in a short story contest staged by The United Daily in 1976, she was pregnant with her first child. Yet, Hsiao wrote as if she were already the experienced mother. Discussing the educational problems facing the middle class, the author tried to picture the spiritual deprivation of the younger generation. The mother discusses Han-sheng's growth, the setting up of his goals, the struggles and failures, and his surrender to a disappointed life.
The mother embraces the typical middle class philosophy. The author writes in the first paragraph: ".... I am not a woman who sticks to old ways. I have been working hard to keep up with social progress, hoping that I am still a quick-witted person.... Because of this, all those who know Hansheng cannot believe that I am his mother. Although, this is flattering, I have found that, year after year, our relationship has grown colder and colder." The mother, determined not to be outmoded, trying to bridge the gap between her son and herself, has on the contrary, become a stranger to her son. It is truly a satire of middle class parenting. However, the mother never realizes the true state of affairs, from beginning to end. She continues to hope she will influence her son by the force of parental love.
Hsiao vividly portrays Hansheng as a pitiful idealist, defeated by his environment. The reader is drawn to particular concern for the many young men of today's society who are enthusiastic, full of a sense of justice, and wishing to care for others. How to help them, to encourage and guide them so that ideals and ambitions both can be realized, is an urgent task.
The principal sources of Hsiao's inspiration are the events of everyday life. However, though she has powers of keen observation, she does not construct artificial story plots. The writing evolves naturally.
Hsiao's grasp of the "fibrous roots" of life evidences a brilliance of mind. On the surface, her writings seem to be descriptions, in a light, moderate tone. There is not a word of preaching to be found in her works. She never intends any affirmation. What the reader receives is fresh and lively circumstance, worth both sympathy and deep thought.
Born in 1953, Hsiao Ching-yo (Hsiao Sa) has been a Taipei County primary school teacher for eight years. "Whenever a new academic year begins and I am assigned a new class, I feel that the new faces are not attractive at all," she remarks. "However, after a short while, they appear lively and cute. They are smart, understanding. They are born to be loved and protected."
Since her graduation from normal school, Hsiao has been constantly educating the next generation in the children's world. However, she usually focuses in her writings on the most "modern" facets of adult society. She grasps firmly the aspect of our times.
Since the domain of her own life appears rather limited, how can she have so much access to the intricacies of other lives? "Reading newspapers, books, and magazines expands my knowledge," she responds. "Of course, in life itself, making as many friends as I can also helps."
Before 1978, despite the numerous short stories she had written, Hsiao felt impelled to write a novel about the problems for youths at the crossroads with adult life. She wished not only to probe their problems, but hoped to further inspire them.
Like a Dream was completed in 1981, a result of this impulse. She worked on it this time for three years. Finishing the novel, the reader has, herself, relived the changes in our society over the recent 20 years, a tribute to the author's recognition of the society's hidden face, of her sincerity and her solemn purpose.
Every writer's sense of duty should be expressed as she has: The novel Like a Dream is a photograph of our society. The self-restraint of Hsiao's pen is very strict-she has made neither evaluation nor judgment. There are no sighs, no derision. The reader is allowed to chew for himself the results of change in our society.
Reading the novel, you may suddenly realize that the society seems so strange. It moves so fast, away from the original rational concept of the people. The destination is not predictable.
Yu Chen, a vainglorious high school-girl, is the main character of the novel. She does as she pleases, and since she is dissatisfied with both her family and the school, to escape from her personal pain, she sacrifices everything.
Every time Yu moves to a new boyfriend, the traditional Chinese concept of a "harmonious and orderly home" ripples in her mind. And each time it is not approached. In the dream, there are colors and excitement. And since it is a dream, it dies out, at last.
Ten years later, Yu is a young woman who has at last secured those material things she has so avidly pursued. But Yu glances around and discovers her life is empty. She realizes suddenly that what she has lost is much more than what she has gained.
Hsiao Sa—" A novel is like a flower garden"
Embellishing the reality of a material world is satin-ribbon merriment-colorful, but devoid of life. Human beings, on the one hand, dream of themselves as blooming flowers, and on the other, seek life from lifeless ornaments. Truly, they are only greedy.
The plot and development of the novel, its clear indications and insinuations, can be helpful to those young people who are discontented with reality.
For Hsiao, herself, of course, her first novel is very precious. She hopes it will be but a starting point in her production of many even more meaningful "photographs" for her readers.
Webster's defines "novel" as "an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity, that deals imaginatively with human experience through a connected sequence of events involving a group of persons in a specific setting." And Hsiao maintains, "Invention is necessary. If you think that by putting real people in a writing, you will succeed in making the story seem real, then, you may well find you are wrong. Only characters created from an author's deepest thoughts and imagination can manifest the preplanned 'truthfulness.' The invented plots enhance the dramatization of a novel, and the existence of dramatization makes the story more readable. Then, only attractive, perceptive writing can make the existence of dramatization really meaningful.
"Actually, I write short stories and novels because I also like to read myself. They make me see scenes I've never seen before, and feel sorrows, joyfulness, and strength I've never really experienced." Hsiao believes that this special essence can be found in The Red Chamber Dream (one of the greatest of Chinese novels, authored by Tsao Hsueh-ching during the Ching Dynasty), in the Sherlock Holmes series, in The Count of Monte-Cristo. "It is the collective traits of such novels that are the goals for my future writings. I believe that if a literary work is deliberately 'lofty,' it won't meet the persistent demands of time. The development of a novel is just like that of a flower garden, in which all the flowers are blooming and struggling to show their beauty. Each reader can survey what he particularly likes, and each writer can attempt to demonstrate his writing skills to the fullest extent."
Poet Ni Lo once said, "Local literary circles should attempt to lay a good foundation for literature and then wait for the geniuses to show up. Hsiao Sa is one of the delights we were looking forward to."