The Lyrical Age
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Summary
Through its depiction of the two characters' utterly different life experiences and attitudes toward life, the book offers a truthful reflection of people's lives against the backdrop of reform and opening up, and embodies Chinese cultural spirit and values.
Editor's review
In literary terms, Fan Dunzi inherits the surreal treatment of rural life practiced by predecessors such as Mo Yan and Yan Lianke, yet infuses it with the sensibility and verbal rhythm of the post-90s generation. The many symbols and metaphors—recurring flocks of sheep, the stage, the tractor—form a self-contained system of meaning worth savoring. This writing is not nostalgic; it is closer to a spiritual archaeology, trying to salvage emotional structures and ways of being that are about to vanish in a rapidly changing era.
As an editor, I find the pleasure of this book lies in its verbal density and narrative leaps. It offers no smooth linear story but advances through fragmented scenes, sudden shifts of imagery, and flows of emotion, demanding some concentration and literary sensitivity. Immerse yourself, though, and you will feel a raw, sincere lyrical force—a writer's effort to use words against forgetting and homogenization. The book suits readers unsatisfied with simple stories who crave defamiliarizing aesthetic experiences in their reading.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in new explorations in contemporary Chinese rural literature
- Lovers of fiction with magical-realist color and a strongly personal narrative style
- Those hoping to observe individual spiritual predicaments during social transformation through a young writer's eyes
- Readers who savor verbal texture and image-making rather than pursuing plot alone
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a traditional, coherent, tightly plotted linear story
- Readers impatient with highly experimental, jumpy, fragmented prose
Reading tips
- Try slowing down and attending to recurring images and details; they are often the key to the novel's core.
- Don't rush toward a clear theme or conclusion; feeling the rhythm, mood, and atmosphere of the language may be the better way in.
- If interested afterward, read some works by Mo Yan, Yan Lianke, or Shuang Xuetao and consider how writers of different generations handle rural experience and historical memory.
About the publisher
Founded in 1984, Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publisher. Its collection of 389 titles spans classic works, essays and miscellaneous writings, Eastern philosophy, folk literature, classical literature and design. Representative books include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Laozi's Dao De Jing, Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the Shakespeare drama collection featuring Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and Othello, with Zhu Shenghao's translations adding luster to the series. Its author resources range from classic Chinese and foreign writers such as Lao She, Laozi, Luo Guanzhong and William Shakespeare to translators and authors including Zhu Shenghao, Li Chensen and Liang Sicheng. The publisher is characterized by its balance of Chinese and foreign literary classics with traditional culture titles, combining scholarly value with popular reading. Public information is limited, and the above is based mainly on the books in the collection.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 自序
- 上部 迁徙（1995）
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 中部 面具（2005）
- 14
- 15
- 下部 我们（2015）
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
FAQ
Is Lyrical Age a novel about the countryside? What is its core theme?
What is the author Fan Dunzi's background? What is his writing style?
How difficult is the book to read? What preparation does it need?
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About the author
Fan Dunzi is a contemporary Chinese-language fiction author about whom limited public information is available. Three of his works are included in the collection: I Have Never Seen a Sparrow, Tiger Face, and Lyrical Times. Judging from these titles and their common categorization, his writing generally falls into the field of social fiction and classic works, often starting from everyday experience and the situations of his characters, with attention to the details and emotional threads of real life. Because reliable records of the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, education, and writing career are unavailable, a complete account of his life cannot yet be given. Nevertheless, his published works show that he has developed a recognizable voice in short and medium-length narrative and lyrical expression, and they are classified as social fiction and classic works, offering readers entry through both realistic subjects and a lyrical tone.
