Out of Line
Tags
Summary
Each story stays close to life, portraying the friction and warmth between people, peeling back the complexity and subtlety of daily existence, and releasing the nameless suffering submerged in the humdrum of life. Warm yet coarse, romantic yet worldly, it heals weary souls, resists the gravity of life, and awakens our courage and strength. It showcases the peak prowess of China's top literary writers and marks the creative height of the new realist short story in contemporary literature.
Editor's review
Unlike the grand epic quality of Liang's In the World, Out of Line is more concise and quiet. It is like a finely crafted scalpel, cutting open the texture beneath ordinary years, letting us see how family affection, friendship, and neighborly bonds, in times of material scarcity or spiritual hardship, warm and redeem one another in the simplest ways. The characters in the book perform no earth-shaking feats; their "out of line" moments may be merely an unspoken apology or a gentle acceptance of fate. This deep excavation of and sincere respect for the inner world of "small people" is the core value running through Liang's work.
In terms of reading value, Out of Line offers another perspective on contemporary Chinese society: beyond grand narratives, how the dignity and emotions of individual lives are given place. Its prose is plain yet powerful, its plots unhurried yet with undercurrents, suited to careful reading in quiet moments, and capable of bringing readers deep reflection on life, responsibility, and love. This is not a book that pursues plot excitement, but a mirror reflecting the human heart.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who love realist literature and care about the lives and emotions of ordinary people
- Readers hoping to find tranquility and inner strength in literary works
- Readers interested in Liang Xiaosheng's style who wish to understand his short story writing
- Readers reflecting on family relationships, intergenerational communication, and personal choices
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking strong plots, fast pacing, and dramatic conflict
- Readers hoping to see the author offer direct, sharp criticism of major social issues
Reading tips
- Reading in order is recommended to appreciate the subtle echoes of emotion and theme between stories
- Readers may wish to slow down and pay attention to the plain descriptions of details and settings, which often carry important emotional weight
- After reading, reflecting in light of one's own memories of family and the times may yield deeper resonance
About the publisher
Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 哥俩好
- 给母亲洗澡
- 穿心莲
- 因食而遇
- 后弄
- 一株虹之玉锦
- 删除
- 新婚快乐
- 桃花水
- 食物链
- 听众
- 列车飞驰
FAQ
What are the main differences between Out of Line and Liang Xiaosheng's famous In the World?
In what period are the stories mainly set?
What exactly does "out of line" in the book refer to?
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
Liang Xiaosheng is a contemporary Chinese writer, born in 1949 in Harbin, with ancestral roots in Rongcheng, Shandong. His original name is Liang Shaosheng. In 1968 he went to the Great Northern Wilderness as a sent-down youth, and in 1977 he graduated from the Chinese Department of Fudan University. He later worked as an editor at the Beijing Film Studio and as a professor at Beijing Language and Culture University. Known for his novels about educated youth, he draws much of his material from his years in the Great Northern Wilderness and from the lives of ordinary people. His plain, substantial style intertwines personal fate with social change. His representative works include *Tonight There Is a Snowstorm*, *Snow City*, *The Ring of Years*, and *The Human World*; in 2019 he received the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize. His writing also touches on themes of inspiration and personal growth and has reached a wide readership.
Jiang Zilong, born in August 1941 in Cangxian, Hebei, is a contemporary Chinese writer regarded as the founder and representative author of "reform literature." He served as vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association for its fifth, sixth, and seventh terms, and as chairman of the Tianjin Writers Association. His work consists mainly of social fiction and prose, with representative titles including Manager Qiao Assumes Office, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, The Snake God, and Peasant Empire. His fiction focuses on the real conflicts of industry and reform, portraying enterprising grassroots managers in a vigorous, lucid style that pioneered reform-themed writing and deeply influenced contemporary literature, while his essays draw on everyday life and reveal thought in plain detail. Four of his works are included in this collection.
Qiao Ye, born in 1972 in Xiuwu, Henan, under the real name Li Qiaoyan, is a contemporary Chinese writer. She is a professional writer at the Beijing Lao She Literary Academy and vice chair of the Beijing Writers Association. Her works include The Slowest Thing Is Living, The Confession, and Bao Shui; she received the Lu Xun Literary Prize in 2010 and the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2023 for Bao Shui, and her writing has been translated into several languages. Her work spans essays and miscellaneous prose, modern romance, and social fiction. Three of her books are carried here: Which Mountain the Sun Fell On (When We Were Children), She Was Once an Angel, and Out of Line. Her subjects move from personal memory and emotional writing to observations of social reality, with delicate prose that attends closely to inner life and everyday detail.
Yang Xiaosheng is a Chinese-language author whose works span categories such as social science, social fiction, and classic works. Eight of his titles are recorded in our catalog, including "Shidu: The Pain of Chinese Families," "Searching for Ye Liya," "Out of Line," "Dragon Head Incense," "Involuntary," "Begonia Blooms," and "Sunrise and Sunset." Because public information is limited, details such as his nationality, birth and death years, and personal biography cannot be confirmed. This introduction therefore relies only on catalog records and focuses on the character of his writing. These titles suggest an attention to social reality and family issues as well as to fictional narrative, with subject matter that carries a sense of real-life concern and texture. His works are representative in the directions of social-science reading and social fiction and are suited to readers interested in contemporary social themes and realistic narrative.
