Abstract: In December 2017, a forum of “Life Writing and Literature in the Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Era" was held at Qingdao University of Science and Technology, sponsored by SJTU Center for Life Writing, Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. This is the third biographical conference held by the center The theme of the meeting not only continues the theme of the previous two meetings, but also re-examines the long-standing topic of "life writing and literature". The forum consisted of seven keynote speeches and thirty-five representations in three panel discussions. Various topics  were all under detailed scrutiny, including the relationship between biography and literature, the predicament of contemporary life writing and the way out, the social functions of life writing, comparative biography and text interpretation.

Keywords: SJTU Center for Life Writing, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Life Writing and Literature, the Trans-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Era

Zhao Shankui is Professor of Comparative Literature in College of Humanities at Zhejiang Normal University, China. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for Life Writing, SJTU. Email: zhaoshankui@163.com.