The Undertaker and His Spectator: A Review of Zhu Chaoya’s Xia Yan: A Master of the Century

Frontiers of Theatre Studies

FTS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.136-145.

Print ISSN: 3106-8073; Online ISSN: 3106-8081

Journal homepage: https://www.ftsjournal.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64058/fts260116uhsrz

The Undertaker and His Spectator: A Review of Zhu Chaoya’s Xia Yan: A Master of the Century

Li Yifan, Huang Dezhi

Abstract: In recent years, the study of modern and contemporary Chinese literature has witnessed an academic turn back to revolutionary literature, with academic scholarship transcending a single aesthetic or political interpretation to re-examine the complex relationship between revolution and literature. As an important representative of revolutionary literature and literary practice, Xia Yan has become a key object in this academic turn. From the perspective of “The Bearer and His Witness”, this paper reviews the book Xia Yan: A Master of the Century published by People’s Literature Publishing House. With a concise layout, solid historical materials, and a combination of pictures and texts, the book integrates popularity and academic nature, presenting Xia Yan’s lifelong sense of responsibility and restoring his spiritual world with warm writing. The dual images of “bearing” and “witnessing” not only provide a new path for Xia Yan’s research, but also offer an important reference for understanding how a generation of intellectuals forged revolution and literature into the same life choice.

Keywords: Zhu Chaoya; Xia Yan: A Master of the Century; Biography Writing; Xia Yan Studies

Author Biographies: Li Yifan, Master’s student at Jiangsu Normal University. Research direction: Chinese modern and contemporary literature. E-mail: 1280864002@qq.com. Huang Dezhi (corresponding author), professor of Jiangsu Normal University. Research direction: modern Chinese literature. E-mail: 2641824411@qq.com.

标题：承担者，与他的看见者：评朱超亚《夏衍：百年巨匠》

摘要：近年来，现当代文学研究呈现向革命文学回归的学术转向，学界超越单一审美或政治解读，重审革命与文学的复杂关系。夏衍作为革命文学与文艺实践的重要代表，成为这一研究转向中的关键对象。本文以《承担者，与他的看见者》为视角，评析人民文学出版社《夏衍：百年巨匠》一书。该书篇幅精炼、史料扎实、图文并茂，兼具普及性与学术性，既呈现夏衍一生的责任担当，又以温情书写还原其精神世界。“承担”与“看见”的双重意象，不仅为夏衍研究提供新路径，也为理解一代知识分子如何将革命与文学熔铸为生命选择提供重要参照。

关键词：朱超亚；《夏衍：百年巨匠》；传记写作；夏衍

作者简介：李逸凡，江苏师范大学在读硕士研究生，研究方向：中国现当代文学。电子邮箱：1280864002@qq.com。黄德志 (通讯作者)，江苏师范大学教授，研究方向：中国现代文学，电子邮箱：2641824411@qq.com。