"It's best to face south," they said, "Women must have their own room." Woolf said it's best to face south | sandwich | Woolf
Virginia Woolf said in "A Room of Her Own", "If a woman intends to write a novel, she must have money and a room of her own."
What if we add a condition? "Best Facing South." In the original documentary work "Best Facing South" published by Sandwich Editor in Chief and Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 22 women write 24 life stories. Through writing, they ask themselves about the situation they are in: "What have I experienced?"? Why did I go through all of this? What do these experiences mean to me? How do they form a part of "me"? Recently, at the Shangsheng Xinsuo Niaoya Bookstore, sandwich founder Li Zixin, writer Guo Shuang, one of the authors of "The Best Facing South" Shen Pinglin, and sandwich editor Li Yiman jointly discussed women's "facing south rooms" and life writing.
"We have raised 12 questions in this book, 'Look at yourself and the surroundings with a sense of questioning.'" Li Zixin talked about the origin of this book.
"The Best Facing South" seems to be a collection of multiple articles, and attentive readers can see its internal logic. Starting from the body, it discusses relationships, family, society, and the workplace. They are independent stories and personal experiences, but at the same time, they are not isolated. When I read this book, I always have a sense of deja vu, and many experiences I have had are similar. Each article in this book is unique, but also universal. There are some challenges, setbacks, or dangers, like a girl who must pass through a jungle before arriving in the wilderness. The jungle may be painted pink and there may be many bubbles, but upon closer inspection, it is pitch black and silent. If you enter this jungle alone, you will feel scared. If you can hear other sounds, some say there are snakes, some say there is water, some say there are traps, and some say there is a good environment, hearing these sounds may be... "I won't be so afraid, and at the same time, with my own strength, I can walk out of the jungle, into the boundless wilderness, run, jump, somersault, and walk out of my own path," said Shen Pinglin.
Guo Shuang said, "When I received this book, my first impression was that I really liked the title. Virginia Woolf wrote 'Women should have their own room', and the four words' preferably facing south 'represent self-care. It was my decision to feel comfortable, safe, and at ease, not just having a room."
Li Yiman explained the concept of life writing. In "The Best Facing South," female authors write about their own lives and also use their lives to write. "In this writing project, as an editor, the work style is more often to provide support and encouragement to the author, because the writing cycle is long, and the support that non professional authors need is not necessarily at the level of writing skills, but more emotional support. The author completes hundreds of words every day, and the editor provides feedback to help advance. More than one author mentioned that participating in a two to three week writing project seems to be a psychological counseling process, ultimately forming a 'best room facing south'."
