My Twentieth Century: A Memoir / By Leo Ou-fan Lee

**Looking back on most of my life, I feel I am ultimately a person of the 20th century. I have no expectations for the 21st century; I only feel that my 20th century has not yet concluded. This memoir is also a memorandum I am writing for my own 20th century.** In this book, I recount my growth process and long period of academic pursuit. I have particularly linked my teaching experiences at six American universities, including Princeton, Chicago, and Harvard, with my student days, calling it "sojourning for studies." Following the model of a "coming-of-age novel," I write about my life experiences rather than my academic achievements. Finally, I have audaciously added a chapter on my "Love History," considering it my "emotional education." To me, the structure of a memoir can be more free-flowing, like an unedited film. I often invite a virtual questioner, like "counterpoint" in musical composition, to question me, challenge me, and refute me, forcing me to self-reflect. Even in chapters written as monologues, I have a silent dialogue partner in my mind. The second part of this book features my conversation with Zhang Lijun, who further prompts my reflections on my intellectual journey and reading experiences. In this "globalized network" world of the 21st century, to re-examine the meaning of a 20th-century individual life and engage in quiet reflection is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, I still wish to continue writing, at least to affirm my own existence. Author: Leo Ou-fan Lee ISBN: 9789882373006 Binding: Hardcover Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 532 Dimensions: 210 x 148 mm **About the Author** **Leo Ou-fan Lee** is a Professor Emeritus and University Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and an Academician of the Academia Sinica. He is a renowned writer, cultural critic, and music critic. He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Taiwan University and holds Master's and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. He has taught at Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Indiana University, University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His works include *Screams from the Iron House: A Study of Lu Xun*, *Shanghai Modern: A New Urban Culture in China (1930–1945)*, *The Romantic Generation of Modern Chinese Writers*, *Melancholy and Worldliness: The Revelation of Eileen Chang*, *The Other Shore of the Western Tide*, *Worldliness and Innocence*, *My Harvard Years*, *Musical Notes*, *Living Ordinary Days*, *Six Aspects of Chinese Cultural Tradition*, and *The Imagination of Modernity: From Late Qing to May Fourth*, among others.