In April 2008, we will be reading a book by a Chinese author.
Please nominate the books you would like to read
(one nomination per member, please)
by February 29th.
* Only those books which are available on amazon in English will be included in our poll. *
Note: Only the first 10 books will be included in the poll.
* * * This poll will be closed on April 1st. * * *
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
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Oh April is China month. Hey can I nominate Pearl Buck's The Good Earth? She lived in China for decades, most of her life I think. Just looked it up. Her family moved to China when she was 3 months old. It seems that Chinese was her first language and learned English as a second language. And she lived in China when she wrote the book. Here's a brief bio: http://www.english.upenn.edu/Project...biography.html. I leave it to the mods.
Last edited by Virgil; 02-02-2008 at 01:16 AM.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston.
A few years ago this was one of the most popular writers around. Today, for some unknown reason, she has been largely forgotten.
I have heard two radio interviews of Mrs Kingston. Never in my life have I ever heard or witnessed so much love for the human race. Her voice just exudes love for humanity. She yearns for universal peace and reconciliation for the entire world. This is in evidence throughout China Men and in her other writings.
Yeah, but she was born in the US and has lived here all her life. Her parents may have been immigrants from China, but what makes her a Chinese novelist?Originally Posted by hellsapoppin
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
Does Ezra Pound's Poetry translations Cathay count? If not can we read some other book of Chinese poetry?
"Red Dust: A Path Through China" by Ma Jian will be my nomination.
I've wanted to read it for quite some time and heard it was good. I would've wanted to nominate "Stick out your tounge" by the same author, a book that was banned in China, but I couldn't find it on Amazon, unfortunately.
I nominate:
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling
Strange Tales
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
I propose Gao Xingjian's short stories compiled in the volume entitled Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather (some translations carry the name A Fishing Rod for My Grandpa).
Last edited by bouquin; 02-02-2008 at 12:05 PM.
I liked The Good Earth even though it's one of those few books whose abridged version I read (as I couldn't find the original unabridged one).
By the way, can Hanging Waters by Keith West be considered? Loved reading it!
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
The Good Earth was a forced read in school last year. I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy it after that.
Also, it was one of the most depressing books I've ever read.
Snow White is doing dishes again, 'cause what else can you do with seven itty bitty men?
That is what I was going to nominate, so you'll have my vote.
"Do you mind if I reel in this fish?" - Dale Harris
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway
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The nominated books should be written born and bred Chinese authors.
Nominations so far:
1. Red Dust: A Path Through China by Ma Jian
2. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling
3. Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather by Gao Xingjian
I am torn between Three Swans and A Many-Splendoured Thing .
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I am not very much familiar with Chinese authors. Is 'Soul Mountain' by Gao Xingjian good?
Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
From Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard ~ Thomas Gray
``Yeah, but she was born in the US and has lived here all her life. Her parents may have been immigrants from China, but what makes her {Kingston} a Chinese novelist?``
What makes Pearl Buck Chinese?
I thought the category was one of inclusionism, not exclusionism. The fact is both writers write of Chinese people and culture. Additionally, both were greatly imbued with Chinese culture throughout their lives. Therefore, in theory, both should qualify.
But if the definition must be narrow, so be it.
BTW, for those who don't know it, according to Chinese culture, Mrs Kingston is classified as ''overseas Chinese''. This is because according to the culture one does NOT lose identity because they are born or raised overseas.
I know this for a fact because I studied Mandarin Chinese at one time (and failed miserably). Therefore, our failure to recognize her as a Chinese is an affront to their cultural standards.
Even though I understand your arguments, Hellsapoppin, to be loyal to the aims of "Country of the Month" choice, we will stick only with authors who are born and bred Chinese.
This year we would like to get to know different authors from different countries and get a feel of different cultures from an authentic perspective, rather than Americanised versions or a foreigner's take on that particular country.
I am sorry that this is disappointing for some of you; however, I am sure there are enough native authors of China to provide us with the ten nominations we need.
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
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