Klappentext:
From one of China’s most acclaimed writers, his first work of nonfiction
to appear in English: a unique, intimate look at the Chinese experience
over the last several decades, told through personal stories and astute
analysis that sharply illuminate the country’s meteoric economic and
social transformation.
Framed by ten phrases common in the
Chinese vernacular—“people,” “leader,” “reading,” “writing,” Lu Xun
(one of the most influential Chinese writers of the twentieth century),
“disparity,” “revolution,” “grassroots,” “copycat,” and “bamboozle”—China in Ten Words
reveals as never before the world’s most populous yet oft-misunderstood
nation. In “Disparity,” for example, Yu Hua illustrates the
mind-boggling economic gaps that separate citizens of the country. In
“Copycat,” he depicts the escalating trend of piracy and imitation as a
creative new form of revolutionary action. And in “Bamboozle,” he
describes the increasingly brazen practices of trickery, fraud, and
chicanery that are, he suggests, becoming a way of life at every level
of society.
Characterized by Yu Hua’s trademark wit, insight, and courage, China in Ten Words
is a refreshingly candid vision of the “Chinese miracle” and all its
consequences, from the singularly invaluable perspective of a writer
living in China today.
Eigene Beurteilung:
Seltsamerweise sind gerade die drei letzten Begriffe, die im Klappentext hervorgehoben wurden in meinen Augen eher schwach aufgestellt. Nachdem die ersten sieben Abschnitte viel autobiographisches über den Autoren unterhalten, findet sich gegen Ende immer mehr Hörensagen und da verlieren die Darstellungen teilweise deutlich an emotionaler Tiefe. Das ist schade, denn der Rest ist gut und zeigt Altfans des Autoren, wo einige seiner Romanideen etwa aus Brothers/Brüder, Leben und Der Mann, der sein Blut verkaufte herkommen. Eingeschränkt zu empfehlen.
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Verlag: Pantheon
