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Summary
The train passes station after station. You sit in the uncomfortable carriage, recalling your time with Cécile, and also the love you knew with Henriette in your youth. As the train draws nearer to Rome, more and more thoughts arise in your mind, and you begin to doubt the decision you have finally made—whether it truly exists, whether it is real…
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the French New Novel and modernist literature
- Literary enthusiasts who enjoy interior monologue and stream-of-consciousness writing
- Thinkers who wish to explore marriage, self-identity, and existential questions
- Writers or scholars interested in studying a distinctive narrative perspective (second person)
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a strong plot and fast-paced storytelling
- Beginners unfamiliar with or resistant to experimental literary techniques
Reading tips
- Read in a relatively quiet, uninterrupted stretch of time so as to immerse yourself in its dense stream of consciousness
- Pay attention to how the train journey and descriptions of the external environment subtly echo the inner activity
- After finishing, consider the distinctive reading experience and psychological distance created by second-person narration
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 卷一
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 卷二
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 卷三
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 译后记
FAQ
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About the author
Michel Butor is a French modern writer whose work occupies a distinctive place in twentieth-century foreign literature. Public information about him is currently limited, and only one of his works, Changing, is included in our catalog. Judging from this work, Butor focuses on the experience of movement through time and space. He often develops his narratives around travel, cities, and emotional change, with precise and restrained prose and a strong sense of structure. His explorations of narrative form have had a lasting influence, and he is regarded as an important practitioner of the nouveau roman. His writing does not rely on conventional plotting but places greater emphasis on narrative perspective, tense, and psychological layers, allowing readers to experience the interplay of reality and memory. For Chinese readers, reading Butor offers a window into the experimental spirit of the French nouveau roman and a concrete example of how modernist literature renews the language of fiction.
Public information about Gui Yufang is limited; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the holdings in the library, she was a translator of foreign literature active in Chinese-language publishing, with 16 works, commonly classified under foreign literature and world classics. Her translations span French and Russian literature, including Gide's Strait Is the Gate, Duras's Summer Evening, The Dam, and The Collected Works of Duras, as well as works on Russian literature such as Six Lectures on Dostoevsky, along with Writing and Childhood. Overall, her choice of texts leans toward classics and major authors, and her translations have served to introduce foreign literature to Chinese readers, appearing repeatedly in related translation series and collected works.
