The Diary of a Madman satirizes the corruption and feudal oppression of the real society at that time, which is very revealing and clear in direction. The absurd writing goes straight to the essence, just like reality. At the same time, metaphors such as "cannibalism" are used to turn the story into a ridiculous short story to achieve a satirical effect.
"Diary of a Madman" is the first short vernacular diary novel written by Lu Xun and the first modern vernacular novel in China. It was written in April 1918. This article first appeared in the monthly magazine New Youth, Volume 4, Issue 5, May 15, 1918. It was later included in the collection "Scream" and compiled into the first volume of "The Complete Works of Lu Xun". ?
The novel reveals the "cannibalistic" nature of feudal ethics through the image of the persecuted "madman" and the self-narrative description of the "madman", and expresses the author's love for feudal ethics as the main connotation. The resistance of China's feudal culture also shows the author's profound sense of repentance. The author conducted a profound reflection on Chinese culture from a thorough "revolutionary democratic" standpoint, and at the same time expressed deep concern and indignation about the future of China and even mankind.
In April 2019, the Israeli independent literary publishing house Nine Lives Press and the Renmin University of China Press signed an agreement at Tel Aviv University to publish the Hebrew version of Lu Xun’s classic work "Diary of a Madman" in Israel. Translated by Professor Ke Amila, the translator of the Hebrew version of "Dream of Red Mansions".