Name: ????? ??????? ???????
Rating: 3.8 (1042 reviews)
ISBN: 9789777049887

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????? ??????? ???????

Mo Yan, ?????? ???? ?????(Translator)

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????? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??????. ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ????.. ??? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ???????? ????? ?? ????????? ????? ???????. ??? ??? ????? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????????? ????????? ???????? ?????????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ???????? .

??? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ???? 2012

GenresChinaFictionHistorical FictionAsiaNobel PrizeChinese LiteratureLiterature

622 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1987

790 people are currently reading

19.3k people want to read

About the author

Mo Yan

296?books1,383?followers

Modern Chinese author, in the western world most known for his novel Red Sorghum (which was turned into a movie by the same title). Often described as the Chinese Franz Kafka or Joseph Heller.

Mo Yan (莫言) is a pen name and means don't speak. His real name is Guan Moye (simplified Chinese: 管谟业; traditional Chinese: 管謨業; pinyin: Guǎn Móyè).

He has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 for his work which "with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary". Among the works highlighted by the Nobel judges were Red Sorghum (1987) and Big Breasts & Wide Hips (2004), as well as The Garlic Ballads.

Chinese version: 莫言

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Issa Deerbany

374 reviews644 followers

October 20, 2017

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Maziyar Yf

735 reviews522 followers

November 3, 2023

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mo-yan

Mehrdad

42 reviews19 followers

January 24, 2025

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???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???. ????? ?????? ??? ? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??? ? ??? ???: ????????? ??? ????? ???! ( ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ?????. ??????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????! )

?? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??? ( ????? ?? ??? - ??? ??? ) ?? ???? ????? ????? ? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????. ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ??????:
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?? ??????? ????? ????? ? ???????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ? ???? ???? ( ???? ????? ????? ?????. ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????! ) ??????? ?...

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???? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?? ?? ???! ( ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ????. ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?? ?? ?????????? ???????? ? ??????? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ????????? ??????!!!! - ????? ???? ?? ???. )

???? ??? ?????? ? ?????? ? ???????????? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? ??????. ( ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ????? ???? ????????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ????. ???????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ? ????? ? ????? ?... ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ? ???????? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ??? ???????? ?? ??? ?????. )

???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ???????. ?? ???? ???????? ??? ?? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ? ???? ? ????? ????.

???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???. ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ????. ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????. ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ???????? ????? ??????! ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ????????? ?? ????? ? ?????????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ? ???? ??? ????????? ??????. ????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??: ( ????????! ??????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ? ????? ??? ????? ???. )

?? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ????.

????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?????. ????? ??? ????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???. ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???????? ????? ???????.

????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ??????. ( ?????? ????? ??????. )

Mosca

86 reviews12 followers

January 19, 2016

****

For about eight years (1937~1945), northeastern China was occupied by Japan. This brutal invasion occurred coincidentally within the 23 years of the Chinese Civil War (1927~1950). For someone who might not be at least superficially familiar with the appalling conditions of these two wars of attrition fought upon a countryside already devastated by poverty and organized crime, it might appear that this book contains far too much gratuitous horror.

But for someone like , who was born and raised in Shandong Province (completely taken over by Japan), it might constitute family memory and cultural history.

is at least a work of historical fiction. But it appears much more than that.

Told as a first person narrative, this tale betrays the nationalism, racism, and sexism of that fictional narrator, permanently marked by his times and traumatic heritage. An individual of a later 20th century Chinese lifespan, this man’s experience of that earlier time is found through flashbacks of family memory that play out in bits of seemingly disjointed montages. But as the book progresses these bits assemble in the readers mind into a more complete picture.

The manner in which Mo Yan organizes these bits and pieces are masterfully presented so that the reader is at first transported by a poetic lyricism that emotionally tears the heart so, that the reader is now as deeply in love with the land and the region as would be a native.

The many characters are flawed but humanly seductive such that one becomes attached to them as though they are family—despicable but endearing. We become bonded to these folks and their homeland. Mo Yan’s prose is so well crafted that it is this beauty that enmesh us into this world.

We are now trapped.

We are trapped because it is this region and these people who are doomed to participate in this particularly tragic and grotesque portion of 20th century history. Mo Yan sees to it that we are complicit with them and experience with them this horror.

And his very powerful prose that so beautifully describes each flower and star and fish and drop of dew—also describes in awful detail every part of the horror these souls find themselves a part of.

These details are not easy for a reader to experience. And they last longer than many readers will want to endure. But these Chinese protagonists represent real people who were subjected to much worse for decades.

How would we react in such a time? Would we be heroes? Would we be bastards? Would we even survive? Who would we be afterwards?

As Second Grandma observes:

"You revere heroes and loathe bastards, but who among us is not the 'most heroic and most bastardly'?

This book is lyrically beautiful and mercilessly horrific. But this story could be told in no other way.

Mohammad Hrabal

399 reviews276 followers

March 11, 2025

???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? "?????? ????? ?? ??????? ?????? ? ??????." ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ? ???? ????? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???.
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Dream.M

902 reviews451 followers

January 25, 2025

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??? ?? ???????? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???. ????? ?? ????? ??? ? ???? ??????? ??????? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???????????? ? ??? ??? ???. ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ????? ? ????? ??????.
??? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?????? _ ??? ? ????? ????? ? ???? ?????? ? ????_ ?? ????? ??????. ????? ?? ?????? ??? ? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ???? ? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??????.

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????????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ? ??? ???????? ?? ????????? ?????? ? ???? ????? ???????. ?? ?? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ? ????????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ?????.
?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ???????? ????? ??????. ????????? ?? ???? ? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ? ?????????. ??? ???? ?? ????????????? ?? ?????????? ?????? ? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ? ????? ?????????????? ????????? ?? ????? ??????.

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????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ????????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????????? ??????? ??????. ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ????????.
?? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? ???? _ ??? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??_ ???? ??? ????? ?????? ? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??????. ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ? ????????? ?????? ? ????????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??????.

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??? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ???. ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ? ?????????? ?????? ???? ????? ????????????? ???? ???????. ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ? ????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ? ???? ????? ????. ? ?? ??????? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ?????? ????????? ??? ??? ? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?????????? ???? ???? ????? ?????
......
??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???.
??? ????? ??? ?? ????????? ??.
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gifts novel-long-story

Dmitri

240 reviews227 followers

May 4, 2025

"In late autumn, and during the eighth lunar month, vast stretches of red sorghum shimmered like a sea of blood. Tall and dense, it reeked of glory; cold and graceful, it promised enchantment; passionate and loving, it was tumultuous."

"In the ninth day of the eight lunar month 1939 my father, a bandit's offspring past his 15th birthday, joined the forces of Yu Zhan'ao, a man destined to become a legendary hero, to ambush a Japanese convoy on the Jiao-Ping highway."

"Are you a member of the Communist Party?" he asked derisively. "Not the Communist Party," the young man replied, "and not the Nationalist Party. I hate them both!"

**

This is a fictional work of five interlocking novellas by 2012 Nobel Prize laureate Mo Yan. It tells the story of a rural family in Shandong China over a fifty year period in the mid-20th century. It was published in periodicals and adapted into a 1987 film by Zhang Yimou with Gong Li. Zhang's film is only surpassed by the words of Mo Yan.

'Red Sorghum' is set during the invasion of 1939. A fifteen year old boy Douguan joins in the bloody ambush of a Japanese convoy by a gang of bandits. His uncle had been skinned alive for sabotaging a conscripted labor team. On the way to an arranged wedding with a rich leper his mother Dai fell in love with her sedan bearer Yu, now leader of the unit.

'Sorghum Wine' tells about the murder of the leper and how Dai came to inherit his distillery. The county magistrate, who sold her as a child, suspects she is involved. When Yu arrives at the distilling compound he is hired as a laborer by Dai, who is pregnant with Douguan. She ignores him until he introduces his secret ingredient of urine into the wine vats.

'Dog Ways' takes up the tale after the Japanese burn down the town. Beauty, a young girl hiding in a well, is rescued by Douguan who will try to marry her. Douguan and Yu survive among corpse eating dogs. The few men left alive fight feral beasts of dead owners. One of Doughan's family dogs leads a pack of six hundred and attempts to bite off his testicles.

'Sorghum Funeral' describes the burial rites of Dai, who had become a resistance hero, attended by thousands. Love had withered as Yu left Dai for another woman, Passion, while Dai shacked up with his rival. The procession is attacked by the communist Jiao-Gao army who rout Yu's secret society. Both are ambushed by the nationalist Leng Detachment.

'Strange Death' begins with the arrival of Japanese troops at the town. They savagely gang rape and murder the villagers. Passion and her young daughter get caught in the invasion. Yu brings them to Dai's distillery to either heal or bury them. Passion is possessed by a wild animal spirit. Doughuan's son returns years later to exorcise the stink of civilization.

The writing in this book is vivid and the scenes brutal, yet at times perversely comic. The 14th century novels 'Outlaws of the Marsh' and 'Three Kingdoms' have been cited by Mo as influences. His stories comprise a mythical family history told by the grandson of Yu. It is entertaining reading, but definitely not for the weak of stomach or faint of heart.

china literature nobel-prize

Masoud msn

9 reviews

January 25, 2025

??? ??? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ????????? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???. ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ? ????? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??????????? ?? ???????? ????-????? ????? ? ?? ???? ??????? ?????. ???? ?? ??? 1939 ?? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ? ??????? ??? ? ??? ?? ??? ? ????? ???. ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ????? ??????????? (?? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ?????) ?? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ????? ??????. ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ??? ???????? ?????? ????? ? ??? ???? ? ????????? ?? ???? ? ?????? ???????. ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ???????? ?????. ????? ?????????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??????? ? ??? ????? ???? ???.

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????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ? ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ???? ???. ?? ????? ???????? ? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????. ??? ????????? ?????????? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????????? ????? ????? ??????. ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ???????? ? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????????? ????????? ?? ????????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ????????. ??? ??? ???? ?????? ????????. ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ????????? ???.

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??? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ??????. ?? ?? ???????? ?? ??? ?????????:

???? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ? ??? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??????. ??? ?? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ?? ???????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??????. ?????? ?? ??? ???. ????? ????? ????????? ???. ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ? ???????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???. ???? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ???. ???????? ????? ??? ? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ????? ?????? ??. ???? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ???. ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????. ??? ?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??? ?? ? ???? ?? ????????. ??? ??????? ????? ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ???. ???? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ? ??????? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ? ???? ????????. ?? ???? ?? ?? ????.

??? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ???. ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????. ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ????? ? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ????. ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????. ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???. ?????? ??? ????? ? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ??. ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ? ?? ???? ???.

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??????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????. ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ????????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???. ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????:
Heaven and earth were in turmoil, the view was blurred. By then the soldiers’ muffled footsteps had moved far down the road. Father could still hear them, but a curtain of blue mist obscured the men themselves.
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?? ??? 1988 ????????? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????. ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?????????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???? ????. ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ? ????? ??? ?????? (2002) ? ?????? ??? (2011) ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ?????. ?? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??? ? ??????? ?? ?? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????.

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?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???????? ? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ? ?? ?????????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????. ???? ???? ?? ?? ???? 5 ????? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ????????? ??? ? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ?????. ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ??????? (?????? ????? ????? ? ???? ?????) ????????? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ???? ? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???. ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ????? ??? ? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???.

?????

387 reviews441 followers

January 10, 2013

?????? ?????? ???????...???? ???? ???????.

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???????? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ????????...???? ?? ????? ?????? ??????...??? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????...????? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????...???? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???????.

???? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? 1927-1940? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ????????? ???? ?????? ??????...??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?????.

?? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ???? 2012...?????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ???...?????? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ???????...???? ?????? ????????? ??????...?? ?????? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????????...??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??...?? ??????? ?????? ??????...???? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????!!!...??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???.

?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?????...?? ??? ?? ????? ??????...????? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????...????? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ???????...???????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????.

?? ??? ???? ????????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???...????? ???????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ????...?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???????...????? ?? ???????? ???????...????? ????? ????? ??????...????? ????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ???????...????? ????? ????? ? ???? ??????...?? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??? ????.

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" ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????????? ???? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ???? ???????! ??????? ??? ???? ???????!"

?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ???????...????????? ????? ??????...?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????

?????? ????? ??????..

Praj

314 reviews882 followers

February 20, 2013

“With this book I respectfully invoke the heroic, aggrieved souls wandering in the boundless bright-red sorghum fields of my hometown. As your unfilial son, I am prepared to carve out my heart, marinate it in soy sauce, have it minced and placed in three bowls, and lay it out as an offering in a field of sorghum. Partake of it in good health.”

Land is an altruistic asset. It belongs to no one; neither to its possessor nor to the ruthless capturer and not even to the industrious farmer who survives on its souvenirs; apathetic to worldly narcissism, does it shines in its benevolent vitality. If the land could speak it would spin tales of worship and treachery; if it could cry it would wail for the corpses cuddled in its core and one day, the red sorghum would desists from transforming into a fiery liquid, shying away, fearing the stark resemblance of the scarlet wine to the gory mayhem on its very land.

“Start skinning! Fuck your ancestors and skin him!” shouted the interpreter." The Japanese commander says to skin him. If you don’t do a good job of it, he’ll have his dog tear your heart out”. The knife in the lonesome butcher Sun Five’s hand trembled as he begged Uncle Arhat’s forgiveness for cleaning his blood soaked body with cold water ; skinning the man alive like a cattle suspended on a hook. Sun Five breathed his last humanly air while he pierced the shining blade in Arhat’s moist dermis and somewhere between heart wrenching screams and primitiveness of exposed tissue; Sun entered sadistic chambers of hell. Killing and getting killed became a way of life to the citizens of Gaomi Township. Families slaughtered, men skinned alive, women raped, employed as sex slaves; it was a hemorrhaging mockery of the very land that took pride in its humanity. Death completes human suffering. Love and hate amalgamates into a vaporizing sensation dissolving the final string of civilization; life is overwhelmingly frightening. Was Arhat heroic for enduring horrendous tortures for being a faithful servant to his birthing land?

The elongated sorghum stalks clapped through the swirling air welcoming the young, beautiful bride with the most exquisite golden lotuses (lily-feet) as the sedan braved the bronzed sweaty shoulders of its dancing carriers. Dai Fenglian was all of sixteen when her father married her of to Shan Bianlang , a rumored leper for couple of mules. As she traveled though the black soil of the sorghum field, the Northeastern Gaomi Township waited for its mistress. A quintessentially docile daughter like many other Chinese girls;Dai endured the agonizing foot-binding ritual – a cultural norm during feudalism, primed herself for a marriageable suitor and lived a sheltered life. Dai was a fearless soul defying the authoritative patriarchal society. She dared to love Yu Zhan’ao- the young sedan carrier; took over the wine distillery after Shan’s death, tricked Spotted Neck-a local bandit from raping her and solely inspired the vengeance of Arhat’s death by pledging to the God of Wine. She gave her life a rebellious possibility charting its own consequences and eccentricities. Was she heroic after all in her succinct existence? Did her pleading to the heavens for her life make her any less a victor?

“Is this death? Will I have never again see this sky, this earth, this sorghum, this son, this lover who has led this troops into battle? My heaven you gave me riches, you gave me thirty years of life as robust as red sorghum. Heaven since you gave me all don’t take it back now. Forgive me, let me go. Have I sinned? Would it have been right to share my pillow with a leper and produce a misshapen, putrid monster to contaminate this beautiful world? What is chastity then? What is the correct path? What is goodness? What is evil? You never told me, so I had to decide on my own. I loved happiness, I loved strength, I loved beauty; it was my body, and I used it as I thought fitting. Sin doesn't frighten me, nor does punishment. I'm not afraid of your eighteen levels of hell. I did what I had to do, I managed as I thought proper. I fear nothing.”

Dai saw the sorghum grow in her fields frolicking in the sun, standing tall in the rain and yielding the fiery scarlet wine after its harvest. Were the chaste crimson sorghum stalks Gaomi’s heroes?

“The glorious history of man is filled with legends of dogs and memories of dogs; despicable dogs, fearful dogs, pitiful dogs”.

Yu Zhan’ao was a man of many traits; a gambler, murderer, adulterer, a lover, a father and eventually a hero in the anti-Japanese revolution. A bastard that he was dearly loved Douguan’s mother and stepmother. Yu Zhan’ao was a man of integrity. He obeyed Dai like a diligent soldier in the 1939 Black River Massacare to avenge the death of many of his people. Yu was the triumphant idol now, one who lived like a pitiful dog nevertheless, fought like a ferocious animal claiming victories on his perished land. But, the nakedness of his vacant heart froze his heroic endeavors in the frosty graves of his loved ones.

Mo Yan’s metaphorical saga nostalgically maps heroic virtues through the landscape of his hometown of Northeastern Gaomi Township; a paradoxical ground that once flourished in prosperity of human grit and kindness was now a cauldron of heinous crimes howling at the ill-fated blackened cinders. Gaomi was plagued just like its former resident Shan Bianlang perishing in its own pitiful existence.

"At one time the site had been a wasteland covered with brambles, underbrush and reeds; it became a paradise for foxes and rabbits. Then a few huts appeared and it became a haven for escaped murderers, drunks, gamblers, who built home, cultivated the land and turned it into a paradise for humans driving away the foxes and wild rabbits, who set howls of protest on the eve of their departure. Now the village lay in ruins; man created it and man had destroyed it. It was now a sorrowful paradise, a monument to both grief and joy, built upon ruins."

The accentuated elegiac impression of the appalling devastation, reeks of imperialist nihilism; irony of human ambitions. We construct houses; raise our families merely to see them being annihilated by outsiders sheltering their own. Yu Zha’ao questioning the dying Japanese combatant about the existence of his family and whether he loved them, and if so why would he guiltlessly slaughter their ( the Chinese populace) kin ;cites the anguish of two men – one on his death bed and the other fretting his own death; slamming bullets in his wounded chest. Mo Yan’s symbolism of life and death surpasses the familiar grounds of human hostilities delineating the sarcasm of the rising red sun flying high on the Japanese flag whilst it eclipses bleeding the Chinese frontiers. The red sorghum wine that once got its peculiar scrumptious taste from Yu’s urine, now, seeps into the ground serenading its distillers. Mo Yan bleeds his deepest sorrows through the verses blurring the lines between the past and present depicting the end of feudalism and the rise of Japanese imperialist incursion. The laudable tale chronicled by Dai Fenglian’s third generation embarks on the end of the Japanese invasion during WWII following an anti-Japanese ambush by Commander Yu. It spans from the 1929- the first year of Republic wandering all the way through the Cultural Revolution; witnessing inhumane crimes of rape, slaughter and numerous horrendous war crimes. Mo Yan underplays the political aspects of the Japanese-Sino war putting human life on a valuable didactic dais. He diligently scripts history through the eyes of his villagers and their kin; the desolation of loss and the emptiness that chases a rewarded vengeance. The veneration of the ancestors, as every descendant has a generation that endured darkness darker than hell. The idea of colonial power – act of imperialist pursuit of a nation, itself is a cowardly act. Slaughtering the fearless and ambushing agricultural lands; how can one take pride in destroying lives while trying to improvise their own? And in the end, the acquisition of land is futile if all it gives are the graves of blameless souls.

The concluding passage of the novel delineates the narrator’s resentment of importing “hybrid sorghum” into the Gaomi’s fields spoiling the authenticity- undesirable outsiders. I speculate whether the Hainan sorghum stalks was an allegory to Japanese establishing naval bases on Hainan islands in South China Sea; blocking outside communication in China necessary of arms import and related materials or was it to signify that bastard children of Japanese descents were undesirable in China. The disdain of the vulgarity in hypocritical affection by the urban societal dogma shows the loss of harmony in acknowledging noble sacrifices.

“Heroes are born, not made. Heroic qualities flow through a person’s veins like an undercurrent ready to be translated into action."

Yan’s heroes are not Mao’s preferred comrades but ordinary people who fight for their survival in most corrupt yet heroic ways. They are unconventional, passionate, rebellious and brave; they may not have inherited monetary affluences, but demonstrated mutinous arrogance and undying grit.

“This was a great victory..... China has 400 million people. Japan has 100 million. If 100 million of us fought them to death they’d be wiped out, but there’s still 300 million of us.”

Dai- who dared to love a bastard and stand up for her rights, Yu Zhan’ao- who never let his pitiful surrounding hamper his audacity, Passion- who braved the horrendous sex crime, Douguan – for being an honorable at a young age, Douguan’s wife- who got her first period while hiding in a cave embracing her death brother, Uncle Arhat- for being loyal to his kin and enduring the agonizing torture, Sun Five – for sacrificing his human existence for sullied lunacy and numerous other citizens of Gaomi Townships and above all the very earth where the deep-rooted sorghum still bow to blazing sun; all of them are heroes. They rebelled against feudalism, poverty, love, abhorrence, imperialism and most of all human greed. Approximating the demeanor of the bold sorghum stalks, they stood tall and when autumn befell they sacrificed their world saluting the heroic spirit of Gaomi Township.

"....The yang of White Horse Mountain and the yin of the Black Water River, there is also a stalk of pure-red sorghum which you much sacrifice…wield it high as you re-enter a world of dense brambles and wild predators. It is your talisman, as well as you family’s glorious totem and a symbol of the heroic spirit of Northeast Gaomi Township!"

Yan’s characters are not judged by their individual demeanor but by their cohesive valor. Therefore, I chose to do the same. I let go of all those prejudices of several Goami’s residents and recognized the obvious. The text is bounded by nameless heroes who drank their wines and never kowtowed to the Emperor in Japan’s holy war.

New wine on the ninth of ninth
Good wine from our labour, good wine!
If you drink our wine,
You'll breathe well, you won't cough.
If you drink our wine,
You'll be well, your breath won't smell.
If you drink our wine,
You'll dare go through Qingsha Kou alone.
If you drink our wine,
You won't kowtow to the emperor
On the ninth of ninth you'll go with me
Good wine, good wine, good wine!

**(the song taken from the namesake film by Zhang Yimou)

Every now and then when reading a remarkable book it becomes crucial to pen copious notes; precious to be wasted on an epigrammatic appraisal, making it even harder to articulate the treasured sentiments. So, without thinking much, I decided to pour my heart out, just as Mo Yan.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

yan 文

ferrigno

552 reviews102 followers

August 27, 2019

Sorgo rosso narra le vicende di una famiglia durante una delle crisi più sanguinose e violente della storia della Cina. La modalità scelta dall'autore è quella di una ricomposizione non lineare degli eventi, sul filo della memoria più che della successione cronologica dei fatti; ne risulta una narrazione caotica e ridondante, ma anche dinamica e stimolante. ? esattamente in questo modo che Mo Yan schiva il cronachismo, componendo un quadro grandiosamente epico, nel senso letterale del termine, tanto da richiamarmi l'Iliade -per quanto questa sia probabilmente una deformazione dovuta alla mia formazione occidentale. Il romanzo è un bagno di sangue, ma diversamente dal McCarthiano Meridiano di sangue, è un'epopea: il sangue versato è quello di un popolo, non quello di individui e l'opera non è un inno alla perdita dell'anima, ma una sua continua e disperata ricerca. Anima che sembra aleggiare nei luoghi, forse rappresentata proprio dal Sorgo rosso, il cereale che ha nutrito corpo e spirito di un'intera popolazione. La prosa è venata di un lirismo dosato con equilibrio dall'inizio alla fine (detto da uno che ne schifa l'abuso).
Se ne esce storditi e ammutoliti.

Ana

811 reviews707 followers

February 18, 2014

You can say I've developed a pretty healthy obsession with Mo Yan's writing. So healthy that I read his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (which was beautifully crafted - and long), I watched interviews of him with subtitles, I'm going to get the movie "Red Sorghum" and watch it, just because it's after this book right here, not because I particulary enjoy Chinese movies, I've started taking more interest in China's development (the whole of it, not just the last 150 years) because their ancestry fascinates me, and above all that, I think I'm ready to read his entire work. As in, right now. I'm currently working on the first half of Big Breasts and Wide Hips and loving that one too.

Plot, let's first do a little plot summary:

China. The Shandong family is a typical chinese rural family, following tradition, living the old life and not knowing of any other way to lead their existance. Their story is told in the span of three generations, since the 1920s, with a lot happening until the 1930s, and then with some more things happening up until the 1970s. The official span is 1923 through to 1976, but I was never sure which were when, because it's extremelly non-chronological (which is apparently a known trait of Mo Yan's), and you keep getting confused as to what is what and who is who. This family owned a distilery and made a type of alcohool called "sorghum wine", out of the "sorghum", which is a fodder plant, used to feed any type of livestock that might grow around. Which, also, as you might have noticed from the title of this book, grows red in the Northeast Gaomi Township. Afterwards, during the Second Sino-Japanese War (google it: I found out its span: 1937 to 1945) they were resistance fighters, trying to block the Japs' plans in their area.

The minute you start reading it, you notice the writing. If you're like me, and this isn't your first Mo Yan book, it seems almost weirdly familiar to once again drown in it. It's tense, compact, it's his typical language, even though this is his first ever published novel and the one I read was his last. It's written in first-person, which I most commonly loathe, but once again I'm proven that some ~~geniuses~~ people can excell at this job. His narration is extremelly fluid and doesn't ever stop on the way or decide to become less entertaining - it is a constant voice that you keep listening to throughout his book and it guides you through the maze that is "Red Sorghum".

Speaking about "Red Sorghum"..in the first half, it's everywhere. On every page. At every corner. The rural background is made of it. It's the area's God. It almost seems like this book's Universe is formed of only it, and it's present wherever things happen: good things, tragedies, deaths, marriages, history - the sorghum is there to supervise the people. Rarely do you see such a natural element take an important role in the story, but then comes Mo Yan, who makes almost a character out of this fodder plant and gives it the all-knowing, all-seeing, a little menacing role. After a while, you get jaded and cloyed with it, but it nonetheless represents a powerfull image in the book.

About image - the scenery is once again flawless. Black earth, red sorghum, milky water, it all adds up to a story background that sometimes surpasses the story itself and makes it even more rich when it doesn't, as it gives soul to not only the people, but the places it talks about. I kept being mesmerized at how much of Mo Yan's work is based on his observation of the world around him and how detailed the reproduction of that world on paper is. Clearly, one of his best traits as a writer is the ability to ignite in his reader's mind the blazing image of something, of anything - his power to put his own view into his reader's eyes. He was born to be a writer, if only for that.

Once again, his writing is also able to take on a very dark shape and tear the fictional world's seams apart. Twenty-something pages in, you get a scene in which a couple of horses are killed - that's brutal. And then, as a bonus, just a few pages later, you get the skinning of Luohan, at the orderd of the Japanese soldiers. That skinning is a bloody, messy job and one of the moments I realized Mo Yan really knows what he's talking about. I pay a lot of attention to details, and because I read a lot of thriller-themed books and lot of blood and gore stuff, I'm able to really envision even the cruelest details of a killing scene. The detail that really made it for me in here was that after Luohan gets the skin peeled off of his face, it's described as if he has little beads of blood on the surface of his raw meat, which is absolutely true - when you skin something, and you skin them really well, like hunters do, blood doesn't pour out and cover everything, rather it trickles and forms little drops. So, it's either that Mo Yan really did see a real man's skinning, or he did his research. Thumbs up for that! Filled to the tops with this kind of visceral imagery, the book is a roller-coaster, where you never know if you should expect a hanging or a bouquet of flowers. No, seriously.

Because I read it in Romanian, I had to corelate between my version and an English version if I wanted quotes; after about three or four times I did that, I got annoyed by having to read half a page of one of them and half of the other to find out if I was looking at the same thing. My favorite, out of the ones I picked, remains - "Surrounded by progress, I feel a nagging sense of our species regression."

Why it got five stars? First of all, I still like "Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out" much more than this one, but they're both spectacular works and they make such a harsh introduction for the reader in the mind of someone who experienced things us whites have probably never gone through. It's bewildering, having to take all of the information in, but if you understand where Mo Yan is getting at, you are in for an awesome thrill. This book is, on a much higher level than almost everything else published between the 80s and now, everything a reader wants: it's a thriller, it's a phylosophical study, it's a romance book, it's enriched with the dance between life and death, between their meanings, it's a history book, a political essay and also a light pat on the shoulder, letting you know just how good you'll never, ever get to be.

I'll now very happily go and continue on with "Big Breasts and Wide Hips", after which I'll probably start "The Garlic Ballads". I have in no way, not even illegally, happened to get my hands on some 6 works of Mo Yan's from the mighty Internet. I can't be blamed for developing an obsession. That's my History teacher's fault.

The movie "Red Sorghum" came out in 1987, the same year as the book, and got a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. I'll watch it, then I'll report back. Over.

a-little-historical about-murders absolute

Biron Pa?a

144 reviews273 followers

October 28, 2018

Baz? yazarlar, ilgin? bir ?ekilde hayatlar? boyunca neredeyse tek bir ?eyi yapmaya ?al???yor. ?rne?in Ishiguro, ilk roman?ndan son roman?na kadar sürekli yapt??? ?eyi daha incelikli, daha derinlikli yapmaya ?al???yor. Alice Munro, Faulkner ve onlarca büyük yazar? bu listeye dahil edebiliriz. Mo Yan de onlardan biri. Benim okudu?um ü? roman? ve bir biyografi kitab? farkl? y?ntemlerle de olsa ayn? ama?la yaz?lm??.

Bu romanda da Mo Yan her zamanki temalar?n?, ?in'in a?a?? yukar? son 100 y?ll?k serüvenini anlat?yor. Farkl? bir tarzla, olaylar? s?ra g?zetmeden anlat?yor, ki daha evvel ?in tarihiyle ilgili ü? paragrafl?k bile bir ?ey okumam??san?z olaylar karma??k g?rünüyordur, yaz?lanlardan onu anl?yorum. Ben daha ?nce Mo Yan kitaplar?n? okudu?um i?in olaylar? takip etmekte bir sorun ya?amad?m. Ya?am ve ?lüm Yorgunu yahut ?ri Memeler ve Geni? Kal?alar bu kitaptan ?nce okunabilir, herhangi bir sak?ncas? olmamakla birlikte bu karma?ay? da ortadan kald?racakt?r.

Yahut basit?e 15-20 dakikal?k okumayla ?in'de son 100 y?lda ne olmu? kabaca bak?labilir. Zaten bu romanlardan birini okursan?z ??zersiniz. Kronolojik olarak Hanedan zamanlar?, ?in-Japon sava??, komünistlerle Kuomitang (milliyet?iler) aras?ndaki i? sava?, komünistlerin kazanmas?, Mao Zedong zaman? ve ?in'de komünizmin ??küp kapitalizmin gelmesi, bu 100 y?l?n en kaba ?zetidir.

K?z?l Dar? Tarlalar? da yukar?da yazd???m k?sa ?zetin daha ?ok ?in-Japon sava?? ve komünistler-Kuomitang aras?ndaki sava?lara odaklan?yor. Tabii Mo Yan'in derdi dümdüz tarih anlatmak de?il, tarihin i?inde oradan oraya savrulan bireyleri ele al?yor. Kronolojik kayg? gütmeden, atlaya atlaya o dünyada ya?ayan insanlar?n hik?yelerini masals? bir dille anlat?yor.

Karakterler yine gü?lü karakterler. Ne kadar derinlikli olduklar? tart???l?r, Ya?am ve ?lüm Yorgunu ve ?ri Memeler ve Geni? Kal?alar bu y?nden K?z?l Dar? Tarlalar?'ndan daha iyi romanlar diyebiliriz. Ama masals? atmosferde okumas? keyifli ve kolay hik?yelerle sava??n ve yoksullu?um psikolojisini ?ok iyi anlat?yor Mo Yan, o sebeple anlat?lanlar ?hsan Oktay Anar'?n kitaplar?ndaki gibi kartondan adamlar?n kavga etmesinden ?te anlamlar ta??yor.

Mo Yan'in en büyük becerisi epik olaylar?, trajik olaylar? büyük bir beceriyle anlatabilmesi. Bu anlat?m? nas?l betimleyece?imi bilmiyorum. Sükunetle anlat?yor diyemeyece?im, bilhassa Amerikan edebiyat?nda ?rne?ini bolca g?rdü?ümüz umursamaz anlat?c? de?il bu, ama ayn? zamanda arabesk de de?il. Herhalde Mo Yan'in ?zgünlü?ü de burada.

K?z?l Dar? Tarlalar? Mo Yan'in ilk roman?, ama di?er eserlerinden ?nemli ?l?üde geri kal?r yan? yok. Ben yine de di?er ikisinin daha iyi romanlar, daha zor romanlar oldu?unu dü?ünsem de bu roman onlardan k?tü diyemem.

chinese-literature communism contemporary

zumurruddu

137 reviews146 followers

June 5, 2018

“L’estremo confine del genere umano e della bellezza”

Il sorgo è rosso come il sangue. Il sorgo è la natura che circonda l’uomo e gli offre nutrimento, materiali per la vita quotidiana e inebriante piacere, tramite il vino di sorgo; e il rosso è il colore del sangue, della violenza, della crudeltà, della sofferenza. Di tutto ciò è fatto questo romanzo che narra la storia di una famiglia (gli antenati della voce narrante) soprattutto durante la guerra tra Cina e Giappone.
? un mondo rurale duro e spietato, eppure intriso di un lirismo incredibilmente intenso e potente. Un mondo violento, efferato, ma epico, in cui c’erano ancora grandi eroi. Grandi eroi e grandi bastardi (“ma chi non è un eroe e al contempo un bastardo?”). C’erano le costrizioni dei piedi fasciati e dei matrimoni combinati, ma c’erano anche spiriti liberi, coraggio, amore, sacralità e senso del mistero. Colori e odori intensi.

“A volte penso che ci sia un rapporto tra il decadimento dell'umanità e la prosperità e il benessere in cui viviamo. La prosperità e il benessere sono obiettivi anche necessari che il genere umano persegue nella sua lotta per il progresso, ma generano profonde e temibili contraddizioni. Il genere umano sta infatti distruggendo con le proprie mani alcune delle qualità che possiede.”

La lettura ha comportato per me qualche difficoltà per il modo di raccontare fatto di continui salti temporali (tecnica usata anche ne “La canzoni dell’aglio”, ma qui in modo più estremo). Tuttavia, non ho esitazioni nella valutazione; un romanzo potente, epico, che entra nell’anima.

“Ho vissuto dieci anni lontano dal mio villaggio. Sono tornato contaminato dall’ipocrisia dell’operosa ?buona società?, e il corpo che emana da ogni poro un lezzo soffocante perché immerso a lungo nelle fetide acque della sporca vita cittadina”...

cina guerra

merixien

659 reviews594 followers

October 4, 2020

Mo Yan’dan daha ?nceden ?ri Memeler ve Geni? Kalcalar kitab?n? okumu?tum. Orada da yine bir aile kronolojisini bu sefer kültür devrimi e?li?inde veriyordu. Bu sefer d?nem de?i?iyor. 1923 y?l?ndan ba?lay?p ü? ku?a?a yay?nlan kan, a?k, sava? ve ?iddetle dolu bir aile seceresi. Benim i?in okumas? olduk?a zor bir kitapt?. Sayfalarca süren sava?, kaza, ?iddet ?lüm ve par?alanm?? bedenlerin tasvirleri o kadar detayl? ki insan?n ruhunu karart?yor. Hatta art?k sonlara do?ru yakla??rken art?k yazar?n k?z?l dar? tarlalar?ndaki tüm vah?eti ve sefaleti anlatmaktan yoruldu?u hissine kap?l?yor insan. Kesinlikle insan? iyi hissettiren kitaplardan birisi de?il. Ancak dili ba?tan sona ?ok etkileyici. ?nsanlar?n ve ?evrenin pitoresk tasvirleri ve ?iirsel anlat?m? ?ok güzel. Ancak ben bir süreMo Yan’a mola verme ihtiyac? duyuyorum zira betimlemeleri o kadar gü?lü ki, insan? yoruyor. Askerleri par?alayan k?l??lar?n, ?lmek üzereyken ba??rsaklar?n? bebek kucaklar gibi tutan adamlar?n ve ceset yiyen k?peklerin zihnimden temizlenmesine ihtiyac?m var.

“Tanr?m, iffet nedir? Neye do?ru yol denir? ?yilik nedir? K?tülük ne?dir? Bana hi? s?ylemedin, ben hep kendi fikrimce ya?a?d?m, mutlulu?a a????m, gücü severim, güzeli severim, bedenim benim bedenimdir, kendi kararlar?m? kendim al?r?m, günahtan korkmam, cezadan korkmam, senin on sekiz katl? cehenneminden korkmuyorum. Yapmam gerekenlerin hepsini yapt?m, halletmem gerekenleri hal?lettim, hi?bir ?eyden korkmuyorum. Ama ?lmek istemi?yorum, ya?amak istiyorum, bu dünyaya daha fazla bak?mak istiyorum, ah, Tanr?m...”

nobel-prize read-in-2020

f?r???.t?

294 reviews77 followers

October 3, 2020

??? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ? ????????. ? ??????? ???????? ???????. ?????? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ? ??????? ???????? ????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ? ???? ???????? ???? ???? ?????(????). ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???????? ? ?????????? ??? ?? ?? ???????? ???? ???? ???? ...
?? ??????? ????????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ???.

Dagio_maya

1,045 reviews325 followers

May 11, 2022

Sorgo rosso sangue

Mo yan dipinge i paesaggi delle sue storie non solo con colori vividi (Le notti erano di un grigio uva, un vento dorato attraversava il fiume, il cielo blu zaffiro era profondo e sconfinato. Le stelle verdi erano straordinariamente splendenti.") ma con suoni e odori che danno una terza dimensione alle pagine.

La storia della famiglia Shan si fonda sull’adulterio e l’omicidio.
Chi ci racconta questo è la voce di un pronipote che, attraverso una carrellata di acrobatici salti temporali, ricerca le proprie radici.

Tutto comincia con una giovane ragazza, la nonna di chi racconta:

” Quando la nonna compì quindici anni, suo padre decise di darla in sposa a Shan Bianlang, unico figlio di Shan Tingxiu, noto benestante della zona di Gaomi, nel nordest.
La famiglia Shan produceva, usando sorgo a basso prezzo, un ottimo liquore, famoso in tutto il circondario.”

Bellissima e d’animo forte diventa l’amante del Comandante Yu Zhan , un ex vagabondo, assassino e bandito.
Avranno un figlio Douguan (padre di chi racconta) che ha 14 anni affiancherà il padre nei combattimenti contro l’esercito giapponese.

La storia della famiglia Shan è arricchita da una miriade di personaggi che caratterizzano il contesto: banditi, contadini, amanti, monaci...
Come nelle mie precedenti letture di questo autore, noto la presenza di donne indomite come la nonna, Dai Fenglian, e la seconda nonna Lianer.

E’ un mondo contadino dal sapore ancestrale che fonda la propria esistenza su credenze antiche e superstiziose dove la natura sia nella sua forma vegetale sia animale ha un suo ruolo ben preciso.
Tra gli animali ci sono ad esempio i cani che sono sia cibo ma anche guardiani nella loro forma domestica o nemici nella loro forma selvatica.
E poi che l’ambiente come il fiume che in questa storia ha un ruolo quasi attivo.

description

Il sorgo è, tuttavia, il vero co-protagonista naturale a tutti gli effetti e non solo perché tra le sue spighe si vive e si muore, ma anche per il sorgo è l’elemento che nutre e cura.
Con il sorgo si fa il pane, le focacce, il vino, dei medicamenti, se ne possono ricavare stoppini per accendere un fuoco..

In una Cina è in pieno subbuglio, l’invasione giapponese non fa altro che mettere in rilievo le grandi contraddizioni sociali così la guerra di resistenza è vicina a trasformarsi in guerra civile tra fazioni avverse.

Una storia di amore e odio in uno scenario cruento.
Leggere Mo Yan, per me, diventa un appuntamento con l’agghiacciante sfondo di una Cina così lontana dal mio vivere.
Scene raccapriccianti dove essere umani ed animali subiscono violenze di ogni tipo e spesso gratuite.
Poco invitante, vero?
Eppure questo esordio dello scrittore e premio Nobel cinese, Mo Yan, è considerato il suo capolavoro.
Almeno, stando a ciò che dicono in molti.

Lettura non facile, dunque, per uno sviluppo narrativo, per me, difficile da seguire.
L’efferatezza c’è ma me l’aspettavo.
Insomma, ho preferito altro e non lo consiglierei come prima lettura dell’autore.

"Ogni uomo, a suo modo progredisce e avanza verso un mondo ideale che è definito dal suo sistema di valori."

asiatica

Sasha

Author?9 books4,906 followers

May 27, 2019

Part of my Fall 2017 Best Of Chinese Literature project; more here, and a cool

Here's the greatest novel ever written about sexy hot grandmas. This lady's - well, it's his mom really. The book is narrated by the grandson, but his dad is the protagonist, so...it's complicated. I read this because it's about "three generations" of Chinese people, so I thought it might give me like a panoramic view of 20th century China, right? But it's really mostly entirely about 1939, the grandparents and their young son. It's pretty focused.

This is red sorghum. Most of the book takes place in and around these fields. You can make booze with it but I can't find any.

In 1939 the Japanese occupied China, did you know that? I forget sometimes, like, for me World War II is mostly about Hitler, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on. So this book, which was written by Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan and is very famous in China, takes place in the middle of that occupation as everyone fights everyone. Japanese troops, splintered groups of Chinese soldiers, even bandit gangs, all battle for power in the author's home township of Gaomi, which is here:

The grandfather, Yu Zhan'ao, is the leader of one of those bandit gangs. He's a murderer and a rapist, although the grandmother was super into it so maybe it doesn't count. He's a hero, too. It's complicated. He can shoot seven coins off a table perfectly, like a badass; this is called the "seven-plum-blossom skill," just like in kung fu movies where dudes learn awesome tricks and give them awesome names.

It's all extremely violent, so brace yourself for that. A guy gets skinned alive almost right away. It seemed like it was going on for page after page - I wouldn’t know because I seriously didn't read it, as I get older I'm finding myself unable to handle some of this stuff, I know, it's pathetic. Later on somebody's gonna kill a baby. It's all told in sortof a detached, fableish style - at times I was reminded a little of One Hundred Years Of Solitude You get the idea that maybe the narrator himself can't process the awful pain inflicted on his ancestors - he's talking about his parents, his grandparents, their friends - so he masks it with this light tone.

But it’s gripping, too. Aside from a long, probably metaphorical chapter about fighting a pack of dogs around halfway through, it's riveting. It's easy to follow even though Yan skips around chronologically; you're invested in the characters; it's a terrific book. What was I talking about? Right, dude's mom. He has a sex dream about her, lol. That’s one sexy grandma.

2017 china

Whitaker

299 reviews554 followers

April 20, 2015

I found Red Sorghum to be a scathing critique of the way the Chinese behaved during the Japanese occupation. It was particularly interesting reading this and contrasting its depiction of the Chinese peasant rebels with Xiao Hong’s in 生死场 (The Field of Life and Death). Xiao Hong shows the peasant rebels as glorious, patriotic fighters. This aspect of their character is not absent from Mo Yan’s depictions, but he also goes further to show that not all of the rebels were acting out of patriotism. Some were acting out of self-interest, using the war and the weapons collected to become mini-war lords and to build their own power base, often by attacking other rebel groups.

There is a magnificent chapter where Douguan and his father are trying to cull a pack of dogs that have turned to eating the corpses of their fellow villagers, too numerous to bury and lying where they were killed. Three dogs, formerly members of Douguan’s household, head the pack. There is a power struggle between them, and one incites another to attack the third. When the fight ends, the instigator turns on the two weakened fighters to finish them off and take control of the pack.

In many ways, this is how the rebel groups behave. Often, they will fight each other instead of fighting the Japanese. In a later section of the novel, Mo Yan describes Douguan’s father, by now the head of a powerful rebel group, holding a grand ceremonial funeral for his mother. The other rebel groups in the area take the opportunity to attack and destroy Douguan’s father’s group, and all sides sustain heavy casualties leaving them ultimately open to Japanese attack. Mo Yan nails down the comparison when he has a small rebel group, struggling to survive in winter, covering themselves in dog pelts to keep warm and as a form of disguise.

The strategy of instigating one enemy to fight one's other enemy would be instantly recognisable to many Chinese. The strategy is part of one of the critical episodes during the chaos of the period of the warring kingdoms, most notably retold by the Chinese classic novel, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. From Wikipedia:

Ma Chao suspected that Cao Cao was planning to attack him, so he contacted Han Sui to form an alliance.... Cao Cao later followed Jia Xu's strategy to sow discord between Ma Chao and Han Sui and make them become suspicious of each other. Taking advantage of the hostility between Ma Chao and Han Sui, Cao Cao launched an attack on the northwestern warlords and defeated them.

Mo Yan thus imbues his story with the echoes and shadows of Chinese history and myth, slyly underlining the internal chaos as a recurrent theme of Chinese history.

However, the criticism does not stop there. Mo Yan pointedly remarks that the rebel fighters also ate the dogs they killed and by so doing engage in a kind of proxy cannibalism—the dogs having grown fat on human carrion. The use of cannibalism recalls another classic of Chinese literature, Lu Xun’s short story, “The Diary of a Madman”, where cannibalism is used as a symbol of Chinese society eating its own children and destroying itself. His criticism is not simply then of the rebels as a particular group but also of the rebels' behaviour continuing a self-destructive, recurrent part of China's history, society, and culture.

What I found very intriguing, but have no real answer to, is an incident in the book which takes place during the Cultural Revolution. It appeared to be odds with the rest of the narrative, except in theme. Mo Yan tells the story of a poor man trying to get some food from a party cadre in winter. The cadre is feasting on plenty, while this man, who has suffered his enmity, starves. A servant of the cadre sends him away and he dies of exposure in the snow. Other than a possible connection by theme, there seemed to be no other reason for the story to be in the novel. But, if it is connected by theme, Mo Yan seems to be linking the behaviour of the lower level party cadres (and perhaps by extension the party itself) to the kind of destructive, opportunistic gratification engaged in by the rebels whose selfish acts he describes so well in this novel.

Powerfully told, this novel deserves multiple reads, and I will definitely revisit it in future, hopefully at least once in its original language.

china e-book get-hardback

Siti

386 reviews152 followers

April 27, 2021

Il sorgo è il vero protagonista di questo stupendo romanzo. Sullo sfondo per tutta la narrazione, accompagna i destini dei cinesi della regione del Gaomi, nella provincia costiera dello Shandong, una delle più vicine al nemico durante la terribile guerra sino-giapponese. Una terra adatta alla coltivazione, una provincia rurale in estrema simbiosi con quel cereale che, quasi personificato, partecipa di tutti gli eventi della vita dei suoi coltivatori, in un ciclo vitale breve rispetto a quello dell’uomo, ma che si protende di chicco in chicco con una continuità infinita. ? la terra dello scrittore Mo Yan, premio Nobel nel 2012, che "con il suo realismo allucinatorio forgia racconti popolari, di storia e contemporanei”. E questo è appunto un romanzo storico, ripercorre infatti la devastazione prodotta dall’invasore giapponese negli anni Trenta e Quaranta del secolo scorso, lo sconvolgimento introdotto dall’invasore nelle piccole comunità sparse dell’estremo Oriente, l’arrivo della violenza, della distruzione e della morte. In realtà la narrazione prende l’avvio dai ricordi dell’ultimo discendente di Yu Zhan'ao, affonda dunque le radici in un tessuto pseudo civile fatto di tradizioni millenarie ma anche di soprusi latenti, ancora ben vivi negli anni Venti del XIX secolo. Un mondo atavico, perso nel mondo, alienato e alienante; un mondo già violento e complesso. Un mondo di banditi, come Yu Zhan'ao appunto, il nonno della voce narrante che tenta, anche con il suo racconto, di tornare nel territorio di appartenenza, di cercare quella simbiosi necessaria per poterlo vivere senza essere un coniglio, privo come è, egli, della necessaria forza che la sua permanenza in città ha scalfito, forse per sempre. Anche il sorgo non è più rosso, come lui, è ormai un ibrido: è cambiato e nella sua metamorfosi ha modificato il paesaggio che forse ora è pronto ad accogliere genti diverse. Rimarranno nella storia della famiglia e del Paese le imprese eroiche della popolazione resistente all’invasore, il suo coraggio, il suo sacrificio, così come le singole storie di una famiglia come tante ma che per la caratura dei suoi membri, ha il diritto di entrare nell’epos, nella leggenda quasi, consegnati a noi da un’aura mitica che sa di realismo magico. Un bellissimo romanzo, che annulla il dualismo manicheo con l’uso sapiente della parola e del costrutto narrativo capace di abbracciare un’ampia gamma di emozioni riconducendoli semplicemente ad eros e thanatos.

letto

mai ahmd

451 reviews3,134 followers

January 10, 2013

??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??????? ?????

?????? ??? ????? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?? ??? 1937 ???? ??? 1945 ??? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ..

??? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???? .. ??? ??? ?? ???????
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??????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ???? .. ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ????????? ????????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ..
??? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??????

??????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ?? .. ??????? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ????

??????? ?? ???? ?????? ????

?????? ?????

Mohammed

520 reviews732 followers

November 25, 2022

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????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? 2012. ????? ?????? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ???????? ?????. ????? ?????? ????? ??????.

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???? ??????? ???????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ???????. ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ????????. ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ????: ??? ???? ????. ??? ???????? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ???. ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?????.

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?????? ?? ???? ???? ???????? ????????. ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???????. ????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???????: ???? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????...???. ??? ???? ??????? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???. ??? ????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???????. ???? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????? ?????. ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ???????? ??????.

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?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????. ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ????. ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????????? ???? ??? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?????.

????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ????????.

?????? ?????: ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????. ??? ?? ??? ?????: ?? ?????! ???? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?? ?????.

John Hatley

1,363 reviews228 followers

November 30, 2012

This is a family history, skillfully interlaced with beautiful descriptions of nature set against the horribly disturbing and shockingly realistic background of the atrocities committed by both sides during the war and occupation of China by the Japanese. An astonishing book.

Ratko

330 reviews90 followers

June 9, 2024

Споро ми ?е ишло чита?е ове к?иге и не могу ре?и да ми се допала.

Мо ?ен ?е овде желео да прикаже суровост ?апанске окупационе во?ске из ?едног од ?апанско-кинеских ратова (реч ?е о тридесетим и четрдесетим годинама ХХ века).
Нараци?а ?е фрагментисана, па се нелинеарно кре?емо кроз простор и време и постепено склапамо ширу слику о Североисточном Гаоми?у и пишчевим прецима ко?и су били учесници тих дога?а?а.

Иако се често опису?у врло драматични дога?а?и (битке прса у прса, спа?ива?е летине и села и слично), све ?е некако тромо, статично. Ликови су ту само да учеству?у у дога?а?има и немамо много увида у ?ихове психолошке профиле, што ми ?е тако?е кварило утисак.

?ош ?една ствар ко?а ми ?е сметала ?есу веома дета?ни и натуралистички описи наси?а и разних гадости. Не због тога што сам нешто посебно осет?ив на наси?е, ве? због ?ихове репетитивности, а и нисам успео да схватим да ти описи доприносе к?ижевном квалитету (исти утисак сам имао и чита?у?и "Крвави мериди?ан" Кормака Макарти?а).

Ипак, не могу ре?и да Мо ?ен лоше пише и да нисам добио неке знача?не увиде. Солидна тро?ка.

Charles

Author?78 books199 followers

January 25, 2013

I'm aware that I ought to have liked this. Nobel prize winner, world literature, etc. But the more I read it (and I read to the very end, albeit in fits and starts for the last 50 or so pages) the less I appreciated its faux-mythologising stance, its glorification of violence, its utter lack of psychological - I won't say depth, because myth doesn't have depth, it just provides us with a terminology for depth - let's say, credibility. Oh yes, repeating words (sorghum an embarrassingly high number of times, with red and green not far behind) does not make them symbolic; it makes them irritating. To suggest that this has the slightest thing in common with the morally complex work of, say, Kundera, is absurd. I've given it two stars because the translation has a nice clunky 'foreign' feel to it, which isn't a quality I normally appreciate but that,in this case, served as a distraction from the 'rivers' of 'blood' (two other massively over-used nouns)...

And don't get me started on that patronising colonialist term 'world literature'. 'World music' was bad enough...

Leila

201 reviews75 followers

December 9, 2021

??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ???????????? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ? ??? - ????? ????- ? ?????? ???? ? ???.
???? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ? ?????? ???????? ????????? ??? ? ???? ????? ??????????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ? ??? ? ???? ????? ? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ? ?????? ?????????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??????.
?? ????? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???.

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Sinem A.

478 reviews284 followers

March 18, 2023

Ger?ekten hi? ilerlemiyor ?ok s?k?c? dil k?tü.. Belki ?skal?yorum ama hayat?mda ilk defa bir kitab? bitirmeden b?rak?yorum; ho??akal k?z?l dar? tarlalar?....

E8RaH!M

222 reviews58 followers

January 9, 2021

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???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?? "??? ???? ?? ???". ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???. ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???. ?? ???? ? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?????. ???????? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ????. ????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ? ???? ???? ??? ?? 15 ?? 45 ?????? ????? ??? ??????. ??? ??? ??? ?? 5 ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????.
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Larry

Author?28 books34 followers

May 12, 2013

This novel removes any doubt as to whether Mo Yan deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is complex, bawdy, earthy, poetic, wallows in dirt and blood, and soars to magnificent poetic heights. Besides language so rich you can chew on it, and the deeply imagined characters, the greatest appeal of the novel, to me, were the many daring risks the author takes with form and structure.

If you've seen the movie, you've seen only the thin crust of the first two sections of the novel, cut apart and reassembled to tell a chronological story. The novel consists of several intertwining stories of love, resistance, violence and chaos in rural China during the Japanese invasion and occupation, and offers probably the best impression I've read of the near-incomprehensible bedlam caused by competing armies and militias across China during that time.

The narrative leaps all over the place in time, back three years, ahead twenty years, yesterday, tomorrow and today, with storylines and characters overlapping and diverging, sometimes within just a few short pages, without any obvious time markers. Often a storyline circles back, 150 pages later, to where it left off. Yet this comes across as entirely natural, the way an oral storyteller would present it.

Which is how it is told, in seldom-used first person omniscient, in which the narrator--the child and grandchild of the main characters--leaps into the thoughts of each person and even a few dogs.

Other reviewers have complained about how often the words "red sorghum" appear, almost on every page of the book, sometimes 5 or 10 times on a page. Even this I found hauntingly effective, painting an impressionistic view of the landscape. To these characters, the vast flat panorama of fields of head-high grain extending toward every horizon, are all they know, all that sustains them and buffers them from the world. Red sorghum itself is in fact a metaphor for every aspect of their lives.

I'm not a great fan of Mo Yan's later novels employing magical realism, but Red Sorghum is fully rooted in almost painfully descriptive realism. I also don't normally care for the translations of Howard Goldblatt, since his prolific translations of nearly every major contemporary Chinese writer tend to end up with the same narrative tone, regardless of who the author is. But Red Sorghum is one of his earliest translations, and he clearly sweated blood in rendering this great work into mouth-watering English.

For those new to Mo Yan, The Garlic Ballads is probably an easier entry point, since it's shorter and less ambitious, yet beautifully, achingly sad. Red Sorghum throws the reader many challenges, but in the end it is an unforgettable work.

chinese-literature

Freca

358 reviews21 followers

May 27, 2021

Un romanzo classico in impostazione, familiare, che ripercorre la storia sanguinaria della Cina dell'invasione giapponese dal punto di vista di un piccolo paese. Coprotagonista il sorgo, un cereale coltivato nella regione, che fa da sfondo e segue come piegato dal vento tutte le vicende, sottolineandole, soffrendo con i protagonisti, esaltando ogni emozione.
La scrittura è pulita, curata, e guida come un'onda fra le atrocità inflitte, la crudezza delle descrizioni, l'alternarsi dei piani temporali: il lettore soffre con i protagonisti ma non riesce a staccarsi dalla lettura.
Un romanzo adatto a chi cerca uno squarcio sulla realtà, senza mezzi termini, a chi cerca un romanzo storico solido, coerente, accurato, dal punto di vista della popolazione generale: quando la Storia con la s maiuscola irrompe nelle vicende quotidiane di un mondo fuori dal tempo, atavico, ripetitivo, che viene catapultato fuori dalla routine e si deve confrontare con nuove sfide oltre alle proprie note, date per inevitabili, una violenza che si aggiunge alla violenza, una tradizione che viene incrinata dall'immanenza.

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