Angol
Life passes by in just a few decades, and there is always so much one wants to say quietly to someone.
Reflections on Life collects thirty short essays by May Yuan (原陳亦美), ranging from friendship, marriage, and family, to old age, life and death, and faith; from money, success, and failure, to reading, music, flowers and trees, and solitude. Each essay reads like a late-night conversation with an old friend, carrying none of the weight of a lecture. It is simply a lifelong writer who moved from Taiwan to the United States and lived through many years, weaving what she learned from life in both places into her most sincere understanding of human nature.
The author draws widely on other sources, at times quoting the ancient teachings of the Analects and the Four Books, at other times drawing on the wisdom of Western sages. Eastern and Western philosophies of life blend naturally in her writing, yet nothing reads as difficult or obscure, because every insight comes from her own lived experience.
No matter what stage of life you are in, opening this book feels like sitting down with an elder, listening to her muse on life, and seeing a reflection of your own heart along the way.
This English edition is a translation of the original Traditional Chinese book, 人生漫語, part of the Reflections on Life: Bilingual Editions series.
