The Wind of Laughter
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Contemporary literature readers who admire Wang Meng and follow his late-life novels
- Readers interested in more than six decades of social mores and shifts in the human heart in the People's Republic
- Mature readers who prefer verbal wit and the flavor of a life and do not depend on a strong plot
- Literature lovers who wish to understand grand historical change through the lens of personal love and marriage
Not a good fit for
- Genre-fiction readers in pursuit of tight plots and strong dramatic conflict
- Young readers with little patience for loose structure and dense, discursive narration
- Readers hoping for a pure love story and unwilling to engage with reflections on the times
Reading tips
- Start with the opening section on a high school student's stirrings of first love to grasp Fu Dacheng's emotional register before moving on.
- Read the love-and-marriage thread against the historical background, noting how changing social mores shape the characters' choices.
- Where the commentary jumps, do not force coherence; slow down and savor Wang Meng's verbal wit.
- After finishing, return to the chapter of self-questioning in his eighties to appreciate how the book's journeys in love and letters are drawn together.
About the publisher
Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 致读者
- 第一章 春风飘扬“喜”从天降
- 第二章 大媳妇的力量与风景
- 第三章 暖和的小家家
- 第四章 动荡年代的平安与幸福
- 第五章 啊！北京
- 第六章 患病见真情
- 第七章 一曲温柔《乡恋》痴
- 第八章 嘛事儿啊，他妹子
- 第九章 大上海、《小街》、蓬拆拆
- 第十章 火星、仙女、窑子货
- 第十一章 只不过是想念你
- 第十二章 一九八五年西柏林地平线上
- 第十三章 洲际饭店梦幻曲
- 第十四章 滚石击打爱情生猛
- 第十五章 枪杀了也是爱了
- 第十六章 离婚过堂
- 第十七章 拳打脚踢目标清
- 第十八章 为妇女出气“哈勒绍”
- 第十九章 要不，你还是回去吧
- 第二十章 快意咏新歌
- 第二十一章 神秘的烤箱究竟要烤什么呢
- 第二十二章 幸福总是携带着一点尴尬
- 第二十三章 至人无梦
- 第二十四章 神童现身满乾坤
- 第二十五章 谁为这些无端被休的人妻洒泪立碑
- 第二十六章 田园将芜胡不归
- 第二十七章 玉堂春暖餐厅
- 第二十八章 金丝雀与外语桥
- 第二十九章 不哭
- 出小说的黄金年代（跋）
FAQ
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About the author
Wang Meng, born in Beijing in 1934 with ancestral roots in Nanpi, Hebei, is a contemporary Chinese writer and scholar. He served as Minister of Culture and as vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association. He began writing the novel Long Live Youth in 1953; his representative works include A Young Man Arrives at the Organization Department and The Metamorphosis of Li Weng. In 2019 he was awarded the national honorary title of "People's Artist." His works span social fiction, essays, literary appreciation and cultural writing, combining acute observation of reality with a reflective account of life experience. The library holds 69 of his works, including Ten Lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber Culture and several volumes of the Sunbird literary annuals, showing that he has contributed both as a creative writer and as an editor and has maintained an enduring influence on the contemporary literary scene.
