(Pu Hua-chih)

If a person devotes himself entirely to a single task, and stays at it for 30 or 40 years, what is likely to come out of it? Leading literary scholar Liang Shih-chiu spent 40 years translating the complete works of Shakespeare into Chinese, and his work has become a standard reference for students of Western literature. Liu Shao-tang, meanwhile, has collected more than 100 million Chinese characters of first-hand testimony, building a "Great Wall" of historical materials for that most controversial of periods in Chinese history-the Republican era, from 1911 to the present day.

Liu's materials differ from the usual dry history book. Whether or not the people in his stories were main players in events, the vast majority of his articles are made up of the personal words of the individuals themselves. Among them, there are many heroic figures, but there are even more "little people" providing testimony to their era. Thus, his work is approachable to ordinary people, and has found a resonance among its readership. Over the years, many readers of Liu's magazine Biographical Literature have gone on to write for it, and its writers are sure to be faithful readers. That the magazine has been able to publish uninterruptedly-relying on a single editor, no advertising, and no subsidies-is seen as a miracle in Taiwan's publishing industry.

During the recent National Literary Awards, the ROC's Council for Cultural Affairs conferred an award for special contributions to the development of the nation's literature on Liu Shao-tang, founder and publisher of Biographical Literature. In his acceptance remarks, Liu said, no less cryptically than emotionally, "This is an affirmation, a reversal of verdicts, and an honor that has been delayed."

Although he did not publicly explain his remarks, it is not hard to imagine how difficult it must have been to have published a journal recording events and dissecting the actions of important people back in the days of martial law.

Leave no gaps in history

Biographical Literature was born 34 years ago, in June of 1962. The jobs of publisher, managing director, and editor-in-chief were all joined in a single person-Liu Shao-tang. Then 40, with undaunted spirit, in the first issue he expressed his regret that China had never had any tradition of biographical writing. He further pointed out the concerns of intellectuals in an age when people could be imprisoned for what they wrote: "If Chinese talk about biographical writing, about using their own pens to write about themselves, they inevitably feel ill-at-ease. Why? Simply put, there are two reasons: One is that writing about oneself 'is to be avoided by the virtuous.' People fear others will ridicule them for being vain. There is also that which 'is to be avoided by the wise.' When writing about oneself, inevitably one touches upon the politics of the day, and, even more inevitably, on people from that same era. Admonitions and inferences may incite needless disputes. . . . For these reasons there are many gaps in our country's history." This was why he thought it necessary to publish a magazine devoted entirely to accurately preserving history.