The Undying Tree

Name: The Undying Tree
ISBN: 9787550033153

王运才Oct 2020

2.7

Word count: 195K words
Chapters: 45
ISBN: 9787550033153

Report an error Find this book

Summary

The Immortal Tree is a collection of novellas and short stories by Wang Yuncai, including the novellas "The Immortal Tree" and "To the Seaside," and the short stories "The Story of an Old Hunter" and "New Willow Branches on the Riverbank." Set mainly in the countryside of the 1970s and 1980s, the stories depict the emotions and living conditions of people in the mountains, showing both the romantic and natural side of rural life and the bitterness and hardship of life under the conditions of the time.

Editor's review

Wang Yuncai's collection returns to the countryside of the 1970s and 1980s, writing about the emotions and living conditions of mountain people. It includes novellas such as "The Immortal Tree" and "To the Seaside," as well as short stories like "The Story of an Old Hunter" and "New Willow Branches on the Riverbank," with subjects spanning mountain forests, the seaside, hunters, and riverbanks. It presents the romantic, natural side of rural life without avoiding the bitterness and hardship of the conditions of the time. The author writes the countryside without a nostalgic filter, letting natural scenery and human circumstances mirror each other, so the reading carries the smell of soil and the texture of the era. For readers wanting to understand the emotional fabric of rural life in that period, this collection offers solid narrative samples; the mix of novellas and short stories gives the reading rhythm variety, suited to entering slowly in quiet hours.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in rural life in the 1970s and 1980s
Readers who enjoy novellas and short stories and prefer period narrative and rural themes
Literature lovers interested in writing about rural emotions and living conditions
Readers who want to feel natural scenery mirroring human circumstances in fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who read only contemporary urban subjects and have no interest in period rural settings
Readers who prefer strong suspense or fast-paced genre fiction may find it slow
Readers who find the bitterness and hardship in rural narrative hard to bear

Reading tips

Start with the novella "The Immortal Tree" to grasp the collection's tone, then choose short stories by interest
While reading, note the echoes between natural scenes—mountain forests, seaside, riverbanks—and the characters' emotions
Draw on general knowledge of rural life in the 1970s and 1980s to understand the characters' circumstances; no need to judge hastily
Alternate novellas and short stories to avoid the fatigue of reading long works consecutively

版权信息
序文学时代的精神强者
短篇小说
不死的树
迷失
到海边去
一个老猎手的故事
小河岸边柳枝新
纯净的心
化解
大姑
归真
老人孩子枇杷树
春荒
报恩
旱灾
弃席
不协调的四季歌
旧事拾趣（三题）
失重
晚上，一定要对他说
发生在夜里的故事
小村记着你
土地的愤怒
午餐进行曲
典型的背后
刮痧
微型小说
筑坝
公路通往省城
怪事
山道几多情
黄泥路石阶路
太阳魂
月夜
眼睛变奏曲
面对白天
亲家俩
毁灭的崛起
后果自负
小黑
业绩
罢棋
雨遇
后记

FAQ

Does this collection contain a novel or novellas and short stories?

It is a collection of novellas and short stories, including the novellas "The Immortal Tree" and "To the Seaside," and short stories such as "The Story of an Old Hunter" and "New Willow Branches on the Riverbank," set mainly against the rural background of the 1970s and 1980s.

Is the rural depiction nostalgic idealization or realistic?

It shows both the romantic, natural side and the bitterness and hardship of the living conditions of the time; it is not simply nostalgic idealization. The author lets natural scenery and the characters' living conditions mirror each other, and the whole carries the texture of the era and the smell of soil.

Is it suitable for reading straight through?

The mix of novellas and short stories suits a more measured reading rhythm. Start with a novella to grasp the tone, then intersperse short stories; this avoids the fatigue of reading straight through and helps you appreciate the differences among pieces in their writing of rural emotions.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

王运才 Author

Wang Yuncai is a Chinese-language book author about whom limited public information is available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and detailed biography cannot currently be confirmed. The library holds one work by him, the social novel The Undying Tree. Based on the available information, Wang Yuncai draws on social reality in his writing, presenting the conflicts and circumstances of life in society through fiction. The title The Undying Tree carries symbolic overtones, suggesting themes of resilience, continuity, and vitality, while the work's classification as a social novel indicates a focus on social relations and the situation of ordinary people. Because only one work appears under this author's name and supporting materials such as interviews or reflections on craft are lacking, it is difficult to make a more specific judgment about the overall direction of his style, his development as a writer, or his literary influence. Readers who wish to learn about Wang Yuncai may begin with The Undying Tree and consider its narrative approach and handling of social themes.