From Publishers Weekly
The 25 stories and novellas in this collection are disappointing. This may be due in part to the different levels of skill among the translators. In "A Wordless Monument," a story about the effects of the Cultural Revolution on a mainland village, the Chinese narrator sounds like an American cowboy when he says of the unreadable words on an official's gravestone, "Could we eat 'em or drink 'em or make revolution with 'em?" Indeed, although these writings convincingly evoke China's recent turbulent history, as well as conflicts between generations with diverging social values, many seem like awkward imitations of Western literature. Two stories, "Mother Lode" and "Dazzling Poma," are examples of the genre known as Chinese westerns. The pieces that are more Oriental in tone ring truer and fresher, but their pace is sometimes slowed by political rhetoric. Finally, though several stories have humorous moments--"The General's Monument" tells of a nationalist leader who "secretly attends his own funeral" and discovers he is more popular dead than alive--none are strong enough to fully engage readers. Duke is the author of The Iron House.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Grouped into the rather arbitrary categories of time and history, interpersonal relations and urban society, and life in the hinterlands, these 25 stories originally appeared in literary journals between 1978 and 1989. The 17 translators differ in skill and experience, imbuing each story with a distinct voice. The settings range from a remote section of the Taishan Mountains to the sophisticated hotels of Hong Kong, and from wartime to the present. Unusual in pulling together a sampling of outstanding writers from the three Chinas, the collection will leave readers used to romanizations in Taiwan or Hong Kong literature surprised to find pinyin throughout. Among the most memorable stories are Zhang Xiguo's engrossing "The Conquerors." A few of the stories contain helpful notes; each has a publication note. Though high-priced in hardcover, this is a good selection for college and university libraries emphasizing multicultural and women's literature.
- D.E. Perushek, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- D.E. Perushek, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
