未央歌

《未央歌》是华裔作家鹿桥的著名小说，1945年完成，直到1967年在台湾由商务印书馆发行，立刻引起轰动，争相购阅，新文学的代表作品之一。

这部作品以抗战时代云南昆明西南联大为背景，描写了年轻学生的生活和理想的故事。书中人物个性鲜活，情节感人，风格清新、活泼，情调自信乐观。以积极的人生态度和真挚情感，谱成了一个真、善、美的永恒篇章。不以重大的题材，不以曲折的情节来吸引读者，而是以乐观的情调和亲和的哲理来感染读者，是《未央歌》重要的艺术成就，也是它的鲜明特色。台湾歌手黄舒骏曾以这部作品的故事题材写过同名歌曲。

主要人物

蔺燕梅，就读外语系，出生富有家庭却能平等待人，个性天真、单纯，擅长舞蹈、歌唱。曾在全校面前歌唱《玫瑰三愿》，在校园极具人气。

童孝贤，就读生物系，天真诚恳活泼，很喜欢动物。

伍宝笙，就读生物系，温文尔雅，冷静、有脑筋，以姐姐的温暖形象呈现在书中。

余孟勤，就读哲学系，正直刚毅，表现天行健的精神。是众人中公认最适合蔺燕梅的人选。

除四大主角外，书中还描绘通达敏慧的史宣文，勇敢坦荡的凌希慧，羸弱美丽的乔倩垠，刻苦向学的朱石樵，淡泊名利的宴取中，有明智的冯新衔，有平和的沈家姐妹(沈蒹、沈葭)，有随和的梁家姑娘(梁崇榕、梁崇槐)，乃至聪敏佻跶的范宽怡，优渥自信的范宽湖，庸俗自卑的宋捷军，还有渊博的陆先生，旷达的金先生，幽然的顾先生和风趣的顾太太，慈祥而不失童心的女生舍监赵先生，以及社会上的众多各色善良的人物，构成一个战乱当头、异域相聚、患难与共的友爱世界。

Wei Yang Ge (Chinese: 未央歌; pinyin: Wèiyānggē; lit. 'not ended song'), also translated as "Endless Song " or "Never-ending Saga", is a famous novel by the Chinese-American writer Lu Qiao. It was completed in 1945 and published in Taiwan by the Commercial Press in 1967, achieving a sales record of 500,000 copies and 50 printings in the later years. And there is a song of the same name based on the story of this work.

Overview

This work is set in the Southwest Associated University in Kunming, Yunnan, during the Anti-Japanese War and describes the life and ideals of young students. It does not attract readers with major themes or twists and turns in the plot, but with an optimistic mood and friendly philosophy. Taiwanese singer Huang Shujun once wrote a song of the same name based on the story of this work.

Wei Yang Ge was completed by Lu Qiao in 1945 and not published in Hong Kong until 1959. It was published by the Commercial Press in Taiwan in 1967 and became popular on university campuses in the 1960s and 1970s, achieving a sales record of 500,000 copies and 50 printings in the following 30 years. The Latest Edition of Wei Yang Ge [Collector's Edition] by the Commercial Press was published on June 1, 2022. The book has also been published in China mainland.

Main characters

The main characters of Wei Yang Ge include:

Lin Yanmei, a student in the Department of Foreign Languages, was born into a wealthy family but treated others equally. She has an innocent and simple personality and is good at dancing and singing. She once sang "Three Wishes of a Rose" in front of the entire school and is extremely popular on campus.

Tong Xiaoxian, a biology student, is sincere, lively, and loves animals.

Wu Baosheng, a biology student, is gentle, calm, and intelligent, portraying a warm older sister in the book.

Yu Mengqin, a philosophy student, has been described as a candidate for Lin Yanmei.

In addition to the four main characters, the book also depicts many other kind-hearted people in society, forming a world of friendship where people meet in the midst of war, meet in foreign lands, and share hardships.

Author

Nelson Ikon Wu was born in Peking. He earned a bachelor's degree from the National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming in 1942 and came to the United States in 1945. He attended The New School for Social Research before earning a master's degree in 1949 and doctorate in 1954 in art history from Yale University.

Wu was a scholar of Asian art and architecture. He taught at Yale, San Francisco State University, and Kyoto University in Japan and Washington University in St. Louis. He was also a best-selling author in China and Taiwan, occasionally using his pen name Lu Ch'iao (Lu Qiao, 鹿桥). His first novel Wei Yang Ge was voted most influential book of the 1950s by readers of the China Times, Taiwan's largest daily newspaper and ranked number 73 for 20th century Chinese novels.

Wu died of cancer in Boston on March 19, 2002, at the age of 84.