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A major new collection of stories by one of the most exciting and creative voices in contemporary Chinese literature Can Xue's stories observe no obvious conventions of plot or characterization. That is the only rule they follow. Instead, they tend to limn a disordered and poetic state given structure by philosophical wonder and emotional rigor.
Combining elements of both Chinese materiality—the love of physical things—and Western abstract thinking, Can Xue invites her readers into an immersive landscape that blends empirical fact and illusion, mixes the physical and spiritual, and probes the space between consciousness and oblivion. She brings us to a place that is both readily familiar yet unmappable and can make us hyperaware of the inherent unreliability in our relationship to the world around us. Delightful, enchanting, and filled with secrets, Can Xue's newest collection shines a light on the forces that give contours to the visible terrain we acknowledge as reality.
A major new collection of stories by one of the most exciting and creative voices in contemporary Chinese literature Can Xue's stories observe no obvious conventions of plot or characterization. That is the only rule they follow. Instead, they tend to limn a disordered and poetic state given structure by philosophical wonder and emotional rigor.
Combining elements of both Chinese materiality—the love of physical things—and Western abstract thinking, Can Xue invites her readers into an immersive landscape that blends empirical fact and illusion, mixes the physical and spiritual, and probes the space between consciousness and oblivion. She brings us to a place that is both readily familiar yet unmappable and can make us hyperaware of the inherent unreliability in our relationship to the world around us. Delightful, enchanting, and filled with secrets, Can Xue's newest collection shines a light on the forces that give contours to the visible terrain we acknowledge as reality.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
About the Author-
Can Xue is the pseudonym of the renowned avant†'garde author Deng Xiaohua. Her previous works include Five Spice Street,Vertical Motion, The Last Lover,Frontier, and Love in the New Millennium.Karen Gernant is professor emerita of Chinese history at Southern Oregon University. Chen Zeping is professor of Chinese linguistics at Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou.
Reviews-
April 1, 2020
An elderly bachelor cicada identifies with a spider, emblem of death. A magpie puzzles over the school gardener, who kills or drives off its family and is finally seen rather gleefully raking over the graves after multiple deaths in a local fire. A ratlike creature that seemingly recalls a cold countryside but insists "I live in the slums. I was born here" cannot understand the intentions of its host family--are they offering aid or intent on murder?--yet perseveres, an upbeat, gentle soul. A man trying to find the vanished swamp once darkly beckoning at the heart of his city undertakes a mysterious journey, with people seemingly waiting to help at every turn (and spiritual piglets offering a special connection--animals figure largely here). Such is the eerie, unpredictable, cracked and crazy world purveyed in this new story collection from leading Chinese experimentalist Can Xue, whose trenchant undertones impart a distinct unease. VERDICT Sheer reading pleasure for sophisticated readers and a worthy starting point for initiates.
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2020 Can Xue (Frontier, 2017; Love in the New Millennium, 2018) presents another exquisite collection of short stories. In his solitude, an elderly bachelor cicada is disturbed by the deaths he observes from a young boy's slingshot and the web of a quiet spider. A woman's malignant cousin reminds her of a locked box that becomes the center of malicious rumors after she refuses to break it open and reveal her father's secrets. A magpie and his wife witness the landscape around their home change from a single primary school to a bustling suburban neighborhood. A boy leaves his bright and vibrant community to venture down into a seemingly abandoned tin workshop. Bored by his own circumstances, he finds great pleasure in discovering a group of uncountable people shrouded by darkness, but he quickly discovers they have curiosities of their own. Can Xue is a master at twisting philosophical ideas into realities that seem simple but are incredibly thoughtful and intricate. These 16 poetic stories have astonishing depth that will transfix readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
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