Red Mangrove
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in Mo Yan's body of work who wish to understand his urban fiction
- Serious literary enthusiasts who enjoy exploring the depths of human nature and social metaphor in fiction
- Readers who think about the relationship between power structures and individual fate
- Readers who appreciate fiction with strong regional flavor and complex narrative structure
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or purely rural stories
- Readers sensitive to depictions of officialdom and the darker sides of human nature
Reading tips
- Try to follow the repeated appearances and variations of the core image of the "mangrove" in the text, and appreciate the fluidity of its symbolic meaning.
- The novel employs a dual narrative line; note the points where time and space shift, as this helps in understanding the internal logic of the characters' actions and the trajectory of their fate.
- Read this book alongside Mo Yan's more sweeping Big Breasts and Wide Hips and Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out to feel the author's narrative ambition and shifts in technique across different subjects and spaces.
About the publisher
Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is a Chinese publisher specializing in literary publishing. Judging from the 808 titles in the database, its publishing areas cover world classics, foreign literature, social novels, folk literature and classic works, as well as modern and contemporary literature and prose. Representative titles include foreign literary translations such as Anna Karenina, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, In Praise of Shadows and The Complete Tragedies and Comedies of Shakespeare, alongside classic works by Lao She and Lu Xun such as Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Wandering. Its authors and translators include Leo Tolstoy, Cao Ying, Lao She, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Zhu Shenghao. The press emphasizes the translation and introduction of classic texts and the compilation of native literary works, giving equal weight to Chinese and foreign literature. Owing to limited public information, its specific series and editorial policies are not elaborated here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第十二章
- 第十三章
- 第十四章
- 第十五章
- 第十六章
- 第十七章
- 第十八章
- 尾声
FAQ
What place does Red Mangrove hold in Mo Yan's oeuvre?
How does this book's story and style differ from works such as Sandalwood Death?
What does the "mangrove" mainly symbolize in the novel?
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About the author
Mo Yan, whose original name is Guan Moye, was born on February 17, 1955, in Gaomi, Shandong, and is a major contemporary Chinese writer. He rose to fame in the 1980s with rural works such as Red Sorghum and Transparent Carrot, and his writing often blends magical realism with folk narrative traditions, focusing on rural society, historical memory, and the lives of ordinary people. His major works include Sandalwood Death, Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Frog, The Republic of Wine, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Red Sorghum, and The Garlic Ballads. His works are commonly classified as social fiction, folk literature, and classics, and he has also written essays and miscellaneous pieces. In 2011 he won the Mao Dun Literature Prize for Frog, and in 2012 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Chinese national to win that award.