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OverviewYan Lianke is a world-renowned author of novels, short stories, and essays whose provocative and nuanced writing explores the reality of everyday life in contemporary China. In Sound and Silence, Yan compares his literary project to a blind man carrying a flashlight at night whose role is to help others perceive the darkness that surrounds them. Often described as China's most censored author, Yan reflects candidly on literary censorship in contemporary China. He outlines the Chinese state's project of national amnesia that suppresses memories of past crises and social traumas. Although being banned in China is often a selling point in foreign markets, Yan argues that there is no necessary correlation between censorship and literary quality. Among other topics, Yan also examines the impact of American literature on Chinese literature in the 1980s and 1990s. Encapsulating his perspectives on life, writing, and literary history, Sound and Silence includes an introduction by translator Carlos Rojas and an afterword by Yan. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Lianke Yan , Carlos Rojas , Carlos RojasPublisher: Duke University Press Imprint: Duke University Press Weight: 0.408kg ISBN: 9781478026167ISBN 10: 1478026162 Pages: 192 Publication Date: 23 April 2024 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Not yet available  This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release. Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Translator’s Introduction / Carlos Rojas ix 1. He Who Has Been Selected by Heaven and Life to Appreciate Darkness 1 2. National Amnesia and Literary Memory 9 3. The Abjection of Alt-China and Its Literature 20 4. The Wild Child That Is American Literature 34 5. My Thoughts on Literary Censorship and Controversy 48 6. My Literary Review Book 64 7. The Distinctiveness of Writing in China 76 8. Fear and Betrayal Have Accompanied Me throughout My Life 90 9. Writing under a Sky of Concentrated Power and Relative Laxity 107 10. Living without Dignity but Writing with Honor 121 11. My Ideal Is Simply to Write a Novel That I Think Is Good 133 12. A Village’s China and Literature 148 Afterword. Ripping Open the Dreamscape 165 Biographies 169 Index 171Reviews“Yan Lianke is one of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese literature and cultural politics. His sharp and insightful comments on the Chinese lived experience offer firsthand observations of the late-socialist society in transformation; and his cynical, dark humor constitutes the most poignant reflections of the Chinese consciousness in crisis.” -- David Der-wei Wang, author of * Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary China * "“Yan Lianke is one of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese literature and cultural politics. His sharp and insightful comments on the Chinese lived experience offer firsthand observations of the late-socialist society in transformation, and his cynical, dark humor constitutes the most poignant reflection of the Chinese consciousness in crisis.” -- David Der-wei Wang, author of * Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary China * “Sound and Silence contains a dozen informative essays that reveal a fascinating mind and original sensibility. Yan Lianke speaks with candor and penetrating insights. His is a jarring, distinct voice from the vast silent landscape of contemporary Chinese letters.” -- Ha Jin, author of * A Song Everlasting: A Novel * ""Yan’s insightful essays show how attempts to control history and society can be countered by memory and imagination. A brief but pithy, informative piece of work, representing a unique approach to history writing."" * Kirkus *" “Yan Lianke is one of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese literature and cultural politics. His sharp and insightful comments on the Chinese lived experience offer firsthand observations of the late-socialist society in transformation; and his cynical, dark humor constitutes the most poignant reflections of the Chinese consciousness in crisis.” -- David Der-wei Wang, author of * Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary China * “Sound and Silence contains a dozen informative essays that show a fascinating mind and original sensibility. Yan Lianke speaks with candor and penetrating insights. His is a jarring, distinct voice from the vast silent landscape of contemporary Chinese letters.” -- Ha Jin, author of * A Song Everlasting: A Novel * Author InformationYan Lianke is the author of Discovering Fiction, also published by Duke University Press, as well as Hard Like Water, The Day the Sun Died, The Explosion Chronicles, and many other books. Winner of the Franz Kafka Prize and a two-time finalist for the Man Booker International Prize, Yan teaches at Renmin University in Beijing and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Carlos Rojas is Professor of Modern Chinese Cultural Studies at Duke University and translator of several of Yan’s novels. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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