After Ba Jin publicly announced that he became an anarchist at age 15, he bonded with numerous anarchists all over the world through exchanging letters, directly interacting with them in France, and translating and publishing anarchism books. At the time, Ba Jin was largely influenced by revolutionists such as Herzen, Kropotkin, Bakunin and Vanzetti rather than authors.He did not translate their publications for only literary purposes but saw the process as a valuable resource for developing his character.
Hence, he may have dreamed of borderless interaction among humanity because he was open to the whole world. Having mastered English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, and Esperanto, Ba Jin translated various pieces of work which covered vast spheres including literature, philosophy and social science. His work had a consistent theme of sympathizing with the hardships of people and supported their struggle.
Anarchism, narodnism of Russia, and French Revolution are the main factors that impacted the formation of Ba Jin’s ideology. This paper will discuss the correlation between Russian and French theorists who largely influenced Ba Jin, while also examining his relation with fellow northeast Asians, Korean and Japanese intellectuals, whom he frequently interacted with.
Anarchism is a ideological movement developed by philosophers around the world, which makes it difficult to differentiate national characteristics. Ba Jin’s political development is an evidential case of the internationality of anarchism. Because the ultimate ideal of this ideology is for all mankind to enjoy free and equal life, anarchists aim to practice global solidarity in their daily lives. Ba Jin’s life and literature are appropriate illustrations of this belief.