Literature & Literary Studies
October 2018
Leaving Is a Return
by A Lai
“Leaving Is a Return” is the latest collection of essays by writer A Lai. It is divided into four series. The first part is “bronze years”: the meditation and recollection of the hometown. The second part is called “ideal country of vegetation”: a unique understanding of flowers and trees and Rural Movement, in the author's pen, it is an ideal country. The third part is “dust has not fallen”: it is the author's reading notes, as well as the knowledge of literature and reading experience. The fourth part is “music and poetry”: the author's creative experience and writing process and his understanding of many years of writing career. Leaving Is a Return gives us a lot of insights in seemingly ordinary things. The author compares the layers of the mountain to the "staircase" and says "My soul will go to heaven by stepping on these ladders." The author turns his eyes to nature and whispers with the vast world. These beautiful words can let us comprehend the spiritual space of A Lai.
