With a great book by Chi Zijian, “The last quarter of the moon” (1) we discover the twilight of the Evenki, nomadic reindeer herders on “The right bank of the Argun” as mentioned by a more suitable original title.
1 – The Evenki and the Argun River:
The Argun River, along 900 kilometers is the border between China and Russia and near Mohe, the most upnorth city in northern China, joins river Chika to … Lire la suite
An excellent novel of political and social fiction has been translated into English this summer with an interesting preface by Julia Lovell under the title “The Fat Years” (1). The French translation (” Les Années Fastes”) will be published by Grasset early next year.
The author, Chan Koonchung, was the guest of a meeting organized in Paris by the CERI (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales) at Sciences Po and Rue89. The presentation organized by … Lire la suite
The first part of the interview with Bi Feiyu in Paris was published, with the review of his book “The Blind”, on Rue89; you will find here what is related to his writing …
The ‘long list’ of the novels for the Mao Dun award has led to controversy:
It is true that on this list and among the winners, there are Presidents and Vice Presidents of the regional groups of the Writers Union. … Lire la suite
The Mao Dun prize 2011 has been awarded. The prize, which is the major literary event in China, was established following a donation by the great writer Mao Dun, and is awarded every four years and for the first time in 1982.
The eighth edition has been somewhat controversial: the prize, which is organized by the Writers Union, is awarded by a jury of 61 people who have to choose from 187 books. The “long” … Lire la suite
Very little is mentioned in France about Yan Geling. Unlike the vast majority of Chinese writers, she is much more published in the United States than in France.
The novel released in France by Plon in 2002 “The lost daughter of happiness” was nevertheless well received, even if with such a title, one could fear the worst!
From China to the United States:Born in Shanghai in 1958 into a family of writers, she joins … Lire la suite
The “Booker International Prize”, sponsored by the Man Group, is awarded every two years, for all his work, to a writer in English or translated into English. It complements the Man Booker prize, the English “Goncourt”.
The list of 13 selected for the international prize has just been published, it includes well-known writers such as John Le Carré or Philip Roth, but also for the first time two Chinese writers: Wang Anyi and Su Tong … Lire la suite
After Eileen Chang, it was quite natural to read Wang Anyi, even if she does not appreciate being compared to this writer of the 1940s. A little book has just been published in France “In Search of Shanghai” (1). The publisher P. Picquier has done much to make Wang Anyi known. Apart of the three “Loves”, small novels, almost classics, he has published one of the finest pieces of contemporary Chinese literature “The Song of … Lire la suite
A few months ago was mentioned the posthumous triumph of Eileen Chang with the success, fifteen years after her death, of three autobiographical works: “Little Reunion,” available only in Chinese, “The Fall of the Pagoda (1) followed by “The Book of Change (2), written in English.
The quality of these two books is such that it was interesting to analyze the wide variety of topics and events related to the author’ s life.
An autobiographical … Lire la suite