By Mo Yan
This book was discussed at the lunch on the 20the of March, 2013.
Members present: Lisa, Gitte, Vibeke, Blanka, Paulette
The discussion opened with all of us admitting to being disgusted by “the gory” bits, but overall favourably impressed.
Lisa mentioned a review in the N.Y.Review raising the question, whether the author deserved the Nobel Prize. The article suggested that he did not, on the basis of the absence of political engagement, but Gitte pointed out, that the criticism of the new (and also old) Chinese society is present, especially towards the end, e.g. the symbolism of the green sorghum replacing the red one (which also was to some extend the real hero of the book), and in the underlying irony, not obvious, but lurking under all the horror, sometimes exaggerated to a point of caricature. The author´s sharp sense of humour was confirmed in his introduction to a book of short stories “You Would Do Anything For a Laugh” that Vibeke had read to us aloud and which was very enlightening; in one sentence: “I became a writer because I was hungry…”.
Blanka was impressed by his colourful language, original and varied metaphors,and the“hallucinatory” style.
Paulette´s “It is brilliant but I do not like it” might summarize the general feeling. She was appalled, among other things, by his “definition of love”.
These are just a few comments of many. Each one of us had a lot to say, complementing one another´s ideas and totally agreeing.
Spanning three generations during the time when the Chinese gangs battle both Japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent 1930s., this riveting novel of family history and myth, is characterised by a non-linear narrative that lets the past and present merge in the same pages and is told through a series of flashbacks. It depict events of staggering horror set against a landscape of overwhelming beauty, The contrast between the beauty and generosity of nature and the ugliness and meanness of human behaviour is very powerful (Gitte: Ying and Yang), and the depth of love and hatred in the one and the same person leading to utmost sacrifice on one hand and relentless cruelty on the other is almost unbelievable. Is it only morality that keeps the wild beasts in us caged in?
Having finished the last chapter only after the meeting, I would like to confirm Gitte´s comment: to someone who grew up in a communist country, criticism of the regime is quite obvious:
“After ten years away from the village … what frightens me is that my eyes, too, have taken on that crafty look, and that I have begun to utter only the words that others have spoken, themselves repeating the words of still others. Have I no voice of my own?” (Cp George Orwell´s “newspeak”. And as Vibeke told us, the pseudonym Mo Yan apparently means “Don´t speak”.)
And: “The lush green sorghum now covering the rich black soil... is all hybrid. The sorghum that looked like a sea of blood… has been drowned in the raging flood of revolution and no longer exists, replaced by…plants. High yield, with a bitter, astringent taste, it is the source of rampant constipation (irony?). With the exception of cadres above the rank of branch secretary, all the villagers´ faces are the colour of rusty iron. (I wonder, didn´t he really mean”faeces”? /am.feces)
How I loathe hybrid sorghum!”
From there on, it practically seems a veiled anti-communist “manifesto” …
Yet it won major literary awards in China and inspired an Oscar-nominated film directed by Zhang Yimou.
It was first published in the eighties and republished to mark the author's Nobel Prize win in 2012.
Contributed by Blanka
As I will be missing the discussion about Mo Yan, I would like to give my opinion: I read
( in French) " Le Veau" suivi de " Le Coureur de Fond" .
This book was discussed at the lunch on the 20the of March, 2013.
Members present: Lisa, Gitte, Vibeke, Blanka, Paulette
The discussion opened with all of us admitting to being disgusted by “the gory” bits, but overall favourably impressed.
Lisa mentioned a review in the N.Y.Review raising the question, whether the author deserved the Nobel Prize. The article suggested that he did not, on the basis of the absence of political engagement, but Gitte pointed out, that the criticism of the new (and also old) Chinese society is present, especially towards the end, e.g. the symbolism of the green sorghum replacing the red one (which also was to some extend the real hero of the book), and in the underlying irony, not obvious, but lurking under all the horror, sometimes exaggerated to a point of caricature. The author´s sharp sense of humour was confirmed in his introduction to a book of short stories “You Would Do Anything For a Laugh” that Vibeke had read to us aloud and which was very enlightening; in one sentence: “I became a writer because I was hungry…”.
Blanka was impressed by his colourful language, original and varied metaphors,and the“hallucinatory” style.
Paulette´s “It is brilliant but I do not like it” might summarize the general feeling. She was appalled, among other things, by his “definition of love”.
These are just a few comments of many. Each one of us had a lot to say, complementing one another´s ideas and totally agreeing.
Spanning three generations during the time when the Chinese gangs battle both Japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent 1930s., this riveting novel of family history and myth, is characterised by a non-linear narrative that lets the past and present merge in the same pages and is told through a series of flashbacks. It depict events of staggering horror set against a landscape of overwhelming beauty, The contrast between the beauty and generosity of nature and the ugliness and meanness of human behaviour is very powerful (Gitte: Ying and Yang), and the depth of love and hatred in the one and the same person leading to utmost sacrifice on one hand and relentless cruelty on the other is almost unbelievable. Is it only morality that keeps the wild beasts in us caged in?
Having finished the last chapter only after the meeting, I would like to confirm Gitte´s comment: to someone who grew up in a communist country, criticism of the regime is quite obvious:
“After ten years away from the village … what frightens me is that my eyes, too, have taken on that crafty look, and that I have begun to utter only the words that others have spoken, themselves repeating the words of still others. Have I no voice of my own?” (Cp George Orwell´s “newspeak”. And as Vibeke told us, the pseudonym Mo Yan apparently means “Don´t speak”.)
And: “The lush green sorghum now covering the rich black soil... is all hybrid. The sorghum that looked like a sea of blood… has been drowned in the raging flood of revolution and no longer exists, replaced by…plants. High yield, with a bitter, astringent taste, it is the source of rampant constipation (irony?). With the exception of cadres above the rank of branch secretary, all the villagers´ faces are the colour of rusty iron. (I wonder, didn´t he really mean”faeces”? /am.feces)
How I loathe hybrid sorghum!”
From there on, it practically seems a veiled anti-communist “manifesto” …
Yet it won major literary awards in China and inspired an Oscar-nominated film directed by Zhang Yimou.
It was first published in the eighties and republished to mark the author's Nobel Prize win in 2012.
Contributed by Blanka
As I will be missing the discussion about Mo Yan, I would like to give my opinion: I read
( in French) " Le Veau" suivi de " Le Coureur de Fond" .
I chose this book because it was not a big one , knowing in advance that I wouldn't be so
keen on this writer !
keen on this writer !
These are short stories about his childhood in rural China, combining memories and fantasy, his love for the animals and the description of the harsh reality of everyday life , the misery and the cunningness of the peasant world, the sharp humour of simple people having to abide by the absurd rules of the Maoist era .
In the second story, the writer, as a child of 10 , curious and ingenuous, is watching a long- distance running organised by his school.Mo Yan gives here a colourful painting of life in his province
in the 60s.
However...I found the language often vulgar and coarse.
In " Le Veau" , he describes the crual castration of 3 calves ( one of the delicacies being " fried testicules" on the menu...... but only for grown-ups.......sorry about that ! ) drawing a parallel
between the suffering of humans and animals alike in ancient and modern China.
One sentence struck me:" J'étais mécontent de ne pas pouvoir manger les testicules des
veaux et eux étaient mécontents de les avoir perdus. C'était là le lien entre nos frustrations."
What a sentence !
Contributed by Anne
Does Mo Yan merit the Nobel prize ? As a humble reader without any literary pretension I would say yes. I read “Le veau“ followed by “Le coureur de fond” and enjoyed it. Using his childhood souvenir and imagination , Mo Yan narrates beautifully the rural life during the sixties, seen from the eyes of a mischief boy. Courage forced by miserable life and lessons of humility forced by Mao's rules are a part of every day's life.
ReplyDeleteWhen I finished the book I thought that it is not surprising that China is one of the biggest economic power of the 21st century.