Lin Bai

Lin Bai was born in Beiliu County, Guangxi Province in 1958. During this time she married a senior cultural official and they had a daughter in 1991. They have since separated. Lin Bai is still an active writer to this day. ==''A War of One's Own''==

''A War of One's Own (also known as A Self at War or A One-Person War'') is an autobiographical novel published in 1994. It is her most famous work and gained popularity in the 1990s. The story explores female sexuality and experiences. The book is often compared with Chen Ran's A Private Life for their similar themes. According to some, both pieces address the notions of shame and insecurity all while having "daydreaming features and [a] consumerist structure". ''A War of One's Own is considered a controversial novel. The Chinese Book Review'' (Zhonghua dushubao) depicted the novel as "pornography" (chungong) or "obscenity" (huangse) when it was first published. It is also considered a feminist work by some for its detailed account of female personal experiences. The marketing of this novel is considered by some to have "repackaged" the female narrative and experience to interest the male counterparts through voyeurism. Moreover, even though it was not Lin Bai's main goal through her narration, the novel has been perceived as a "complex view of homophobia as a form of internalized social discrimination". ==Writing career and reception==

Lin Bai began writing poems in 1975. Lin Bai's writing style is distinctive by her focus on specific issues women may face during their adulthood in the 1990s Chinese society . The author is known to draw her stories from personal experiences, combining them with fiction. The personal aspect of writing is important for the author, as it can be seen in her novel ''A War of One's Own.'' Her publications are often centered around women's relationships and personal experiences. Some of the themes explored in her writings are sexuality, sexual orientation, female friendships, women's psychology, the search for freedom, masturbation, women's conditions in the workplace and at home, regionalism and bodily experiences. Lin Bai has received some criticism for the themes addressed in her publications. The author is known to have a direct approach to such subjects, which was unique and uncommon during the post-Mao cultural era. Lin Bai is also critiqued for her publications serving as means for "voyeurism and confirming traditional ideas about gender difference". On the other hand, her writings are also considered feminist by some for depicting women's realities and experiences all while denunciating taboos. == Publications ==

• From the River to the Bank (Cong he bian dao an shang) (1986) • Entering the River (Liuru na he) (1987) • ''The Roses' Passageway (1993)'' • Water in a Bottle (Pingzhong zhi shui) (1993) • ''A War of One's Own/ A One-Person War'' (Yigeren de zhanzheng) (1994) • Watching the Empty Years Pass By (Shouwang kongxin suiyue) (1995) • Fatal Flight (Zhiming de feixiang) (1995) • The Seat on The Verandah (1995) • Musk (Qingtai) (1995) • The Bullet across the Apple (Zidan chuanguo pingguo) (1995) • A Known Love (Siceng xiangshi de aiqing) (1995) • ''Zero Degrees' Freedom (Ling du ziyou) (1996)'' • Silk and Years (Sichou yu suiyue) (1996) • Memory and Individualized Writing (Jiyi yu gerenhua xiezuo)(1996) • The Gallery Seat/ A Chair in the Encircling Corridor (Huilang zhi yi) (1996) • Speaking, My Room (Shuoba, fangjian) (1997) • Enchanting like a Ghost (Xiang gui yiyang miren) (1998) • The Rice Jar (Mi gang) (1999) • ''The Records of Women's Gossip (2006)'' • The Chronicle of My Life in the North (2013) • The Lockdown Poems: The Road to the Crematorium (2020) ==References==