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[In this novel by the 2012 Nobel Laureate in Literature], "a benign old monk listens to a prospective novice's tale of depravity, violence and carnivorous excess while a nice little family drama--in which nearly everyone dies--unfurls ... As his dual narratives merge and feather into one another, each informing and illuminating the other, Mo Yan probes the character and lifestyle of modern China."--Publisher's description.
About the author
Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature, has published dozens of short stories and novels in Chinese. His other English-language works include
The Garlic Ballads,
The Republic of Wine, Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh,
Big Breasts & Wide Hips, and
Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.In awarding him the Nobel Prize the Swedish Academy said: "Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition."
Summary
Features a benign old monk who listens to a prospective novice's tale of depravity, violence, and carnivorous excess while a nice little family drama - in which nearly everyone dies - unfurls. In this title, the author also treats us to a cornucopia of cooked animal flesh - ostrich, camel, donkey, dog, as well as the more common varieties.
