The Outsider

Name: The Outsider
ISBN: 9787555911845

奥尔加·梅丽诺 / 李碧芸Henan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.0

Word count: 110K words
Chapters: 20
ISBN: 9787555911845

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Summary

“We are the descendants of peasants transplanted to the city like leeks.”

At thirty, exhausted, I returned from London to my hometown,

only to find that I had no home to return to.

The young people in the village with any strength left had long gone to the city to earn money,

leaving only drunks wailing and the echo of death.

On this emptied land, only the wind knows

how many took their own lives because they could not leave,

and how many who left became eternal outsiders.

Editor's review

Outsiders is a work of literature that uses a return home as its entry point to confront the trauma of rural-to-urban migration. The narrator, thirty years old, comes back from London to his hometown and finds the village hollowed out: the young have gone to the city to make a living, those who remain wear away their days in alcohol and silence, the land lies empty, and the echoes of death and suicide are carried off by the wind. With restrained yet sharp prose, Olga Merino makes the metaphor of “transplanted peasant descendants” concrete and palpable—those who leave become outsiders in the city, those who stay become outsiders on their native soil, and the returning narrator belongs fully to neither. The book’s value lies not in intricate plotting but in placing before the reader a common yet often overlooked experience of existence: migration is not a one-time departure but a continuous state of suspension. Reading it wraps you in that weariness, as if you had walked through the empty village alongside the narrator. It suits quiet hours; do not pick it up seeking light entertainment. It is more like a mirror, reflecting the folded-away individual fates beneath the tide of urbanization, and the indefinable distance between us and our hometowns.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers concerned with rural-to-urban migration and the meaning of home
Literary readers who appreciate restrained, atmospheric narratives
People with experiences of leaving home who want to sort through their feelings through reading
Readers studying contemporary social change and individual circumstances

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer tightly plotted, fast-paced stories
Those expecting light, healing, or humorous entertainment
Readers sensitive to heavy themes such as rural decline and death

Reading tips

Set aside an uninterrupted quiet stretch to read it through, letting the atmosphere of weariness and emptiness build naturally.
Pause at the “leeks” metaphor and think about your own or others’ experiences of migration before continuing.
After finishing, write a few lines about “home” to ground the book’s emotions in your own experience.
If it feels oppressive, intersperse some lighter reading; there is no need to push through all at once.

About the publisher

Henan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Founded in 1996, Henan Literature and Art Publishing House mainly publishes books on literature and art, social sciences and broadly cultural subjects, and also edits and publishes the journal Celebrity Biography, gradually forming a publishing style characterized by full-length historical novels and biographical literature. Judging from the 269 titles in the database, its publishing scope also covers mystery and detective fiction, foreign literature, classic works and world classics. Representative books include Ellery Queen's four tragedies, Slaughterhouse-Five, Blindness, The Siege of Lisbon, The History of the Siege of Lisbon, the ten-volume Collected Works of Wang Zengqi, Old Tales Retold and the two-volume Classic Short Stories of Stanisław Lem, the God of Science Fiction. In terms of authors, it includes foreign masters such as Kurt Vonnegut, José Saramago and Ellery Queen, as well as translators such as Yang Xi, Yu Jianhua and Fan Weixin.

版权信息
胡桃木
井中溺亡人
孪生姐妹
托马斯的酒吧
老面粉厂
艾梅特利亚的亡魂
积水时节的沼泽
女司事特奥多拉
一个鹰嘴豆色的信封
老人院
边界线上的杏树
肉体与黑暗
母狗古拉
面包朝圣节
星期五
星期六、星期天
星期一
海
译后记

FAQ

Is this book fiction or nonfiction?

From the available material, it is narrated in the first person by an “I” who recounts returning home from London at thirty, with a strong personal narrative flavor, and belongs to literary writing. The material does not explicitly label the genre; readers can approach it as a literary work centered on the experience of returning home, focusing on atmosphere and emotion rather than plot deduction.

Why is it said that those who leave become eternal outsiders?

The book presents a two-way dislocation: young people leave the village for the city to earn money and are outsiders there; the returning narrator comes home to find the village emptied and is equally out of place. “Eternal outsiders” refers to the suspended state of migrants who belong fully neither to the city nor to their native home.

Do I need any background knowledge to read this book?

No specialized background knowledge is required. The book revolves around village hollowing-out, young people moving to the city, and the difficulties of those left behind—experiences familiar to most readers. Read it with your everyday observations of rural-urban mobility; the focus is on experiencing the narrator’s weariness and the emptiness of the land.

Is this book suitable for reading in one sitting?

Its length and atmosphere suit concentrated reading, but the themes are heavy and the emotional density high. If reading it in one go feels oppressive, you can split it into two or three sessions and leave a little time to digest after each. Its power comes from accumulated atmosphere; there is no need to rush.

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About the author

奥尔加·梅丽诺 Author

Olga Merino is a foreign-literature author about whom very little public information is currently available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career are all unclear in the existing records. Only one of her works, The Outsider (Wai Xiang Ren), is held in the collection, and it is classified under foreign literature, making it the main window through which to understand this author. Judging from the title and the category, the work most likely centers on the situation of people living away from home, touching on themes common in foreign literature such as identity, belonging, and the tension between the individual and an unfamiliar environment. Because more verifiable information is lacking, it is difficult at present to judge the overall direction of her writing style or to confirm whether her work is serial or continuous in nature. On the basis of the available material, Olga Merino remains an author whom readers must come to know and assess through the work itself, and her literary profile awaits further translations and public information.

李碧芸 Author

Li Biyun is an author about whom limited public information is available. Only one work can currently be confirmed, The Outsider (Wai Xiang Ren), which is generally classified under foreign literature. Because no reliable records have been found regarding nationality, dates of birth and death, or an English name, it is not yet possible to sketch a full picture of her life, and it would be inappropriate to speculate extensively about her background. Judging from the existing clues, the title The Outsider carries clear connotations of migration and foreign places, echoing its classification as foreign literature and suggesting that the work may center on characters living away from home and on themes such as wandering, belonging, and cultural difference. A single work is hardly enough to characterize Li Biyun's overall style; her narrative methods, language, and creative orientation await further material. For now, this work is the main entry point for understanding her writing, allowing readers to glimpse her perspective and touch in handling the theme of being a stranger in a foreign land.