The Courage to Stand Alone: Letters from Prison and Other Writings - Softcover

Jingsheng, Wei

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140275355 ISBN 13: 9780140275353

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 1998

Synopsis

Internationally recognized as a major publishing event, The Courage to Stand Alone is a collection of prison writings from the world's most famous political prisoner. Wei Jingsheng, who has spent nearly two decades in prison for "counterrevolutionary" activities, confirms his status as a symbol for Chinese democracy, as he eloquently and fearlessly confronts a regime that not only fails to protect basic human rights but actively violates them. Devoid of ideological rant, the letters to Deng Xiaoping and other officials capture the verve, intelligence, audacity, and mordant humor of a man obstinately struggling to bring freedom to the world's most populous country. Also included are touching letters to his family, excerpts of his groundbreaking political essays, and his moving defense statement at trial.

About this title

Review:

For some writers, publication is an achievement; for Wei Jingsheng it is closer to a miracle. The letters Wei wrote during his first 15 years as a political prisoner in China are addressed to his family, to various officials, and even to Deng Xiaoping. They relate ambitious ideas regarding the environment, human rights, Hong Kong, and the Tiananmen Square massacre, among others; and they are undeniably critical of the regime. So how did these provocative epistles get published? In 1995 China wanted to release Wei as a public relations gambit in its bid for the 2000 Olympics. Wei wanted the file of letters he knew prison officials kept. He and the government swapped amnesty for the letters, which Wei hoped to use for a planned autobiography. Six months later, he was sentenced to another 14-year term for speaking out, and he has disappeared into silence once more. The Courage to Stand Alone, edited and translated by Kristina M. Torgeson, is the voice he left behind.

What inner strength allows a human being to withstand years of torture, deprivation, and neglect? These amazing letters give some indication of the fierce, intelligent mind that persevered when all hope was gone. By the time he is released in 2009--assuming he survives this second imprisonment--Wei will have spent half his life in prison. The Courage to Stand Alone makes clear just what China has lost.

About the Author:

Wei Jingsheng, a former Red Guard, was working as an electrician at the Beijing Zoo in 1978 when he became a leader in the Democracy Wall movement. An outspoken critic of government policy and advocate of individual rights since then, he was imprisoned in China from 1979 to 1993. Rearrested and imprisoned again in early 1994, he is now serving a fourteen-year sentence. In 1996 he won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0140275355
• ISBN 13: 9780140275353
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336