BEIJING, May 10 -- Some people say literature is not likely to change much in the space of a year, and that it takes at least five or 10 years to trace any difference in literary trends.

    But, the surface of today's literature is almost as busy, fast-changing and complicated as today's life, consequently it is not easy to survey the literary output of even a single year.

    Currently around 1,000 or so novels are published annually. But at the same time it is also true that only about 30 make an impact with the reading public.

    And the figure of 1,000 does not include the numerous novels released on the Internet. According to the Tencent website, within a year of its launching a national Internet novel competition at the beginning of 2004, over 3,800 were pasted on its website.

    In my view, the novel as a style has changed greatly. It is no longer defined by epic narration, but has become rather more free and casual. Readable stories, personal memory, spiritual experience, reports of real events and lengthy prose can all be categorized as novels now.

    At the same time, the authors of novels have also changed considerably. Many newcomers are trying to write, including teenagers. Furthermore, the popularization of the Internet has provided a material premise for the huge increase of novels.

    Of course, I still employ the traditional way of observing and studying novels, and the works selected by Novel Review are mostly novels in the traditional sense.

    Maybe because of the overwhelming globalization and dominance of trendy and sensual writings, I have high regard for works of spiritual exploration.

    Jiang Rong's "The Totem of the Wolf" seems to deviate somewhat from what we commonly consider a novel, for it integrates several forms and blurs the border between fiction and non-fiction. However, it attracts the reader with its raw style.

    Through one after another violent tale of how people deal with wolves on the steppes of Inner Mongolia, the novel's message seems, on one level, to be that "you have to be tougher than the wolf if you want to live on the steppes," but underlying this is an examination of the national psyche.

    Why do people lack courage and rectitude? Why do people seem to be weak? Obviously these questions have long haunted the author, so he brings along the wolf. Just as people appeal to religion, rural life or historical figures, "The Totem of the Wolf" is also a symbol for idealism.