No Food After Noon

Name: No Food After Noon
ISBN: 9787533971564

骆平Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMar 2019

3.7

Word count: 122K words
Chapters: 28
ISBN: 9787533971564

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Summary

A piercing look at the midlife crisis of university intellectuals and the many faces of human nature. Recommended by Alai, Xu Zechen, and Qiu Huadong. After Noon is a collection of four novellas and short stories: Like Morning Dew, A Long Farewell, Suanni, and After Noon. The author trains her eye on the whole spectrum of university life, using a realist approach to paint a panoramic picture of midlife crisis among academics, the reality of married students on campus, the impact of late-in-life second children, and post-90s counselors meeting post-00s students—revealing the diversity of human nature.

Editor's review

Luo Ping's collection turns its lens on the university, but what it writes is not ivory-tower romance—it is intellectuals losing their footing at midlife. The four pieces—Like Morning Dew, A Long Farewell, Suanni, and After Noon—stand alone yet together assemble a cross-section of campus life: promotion pressure, marital fatigue, the shock of a second child, generational collision, all unfolded in restrained, finely detailed realist prose. Its value lies in refusing to look away from the gray areas of human nature—the calculation, weakness, and self-persuasion beneath respectable identities—which often lands with an uncomfortable sting, and is honest precisely for that. The recommendations from Alai, Xu Zechen, and Qiu Huadong confirm, in a way, the place this work holds in contemporary campus fiction. Best read in quiet, uninterrupted stretches, pausing after each piece to let the aftertaste settle. If you know university life, you will hear more between the lines; if not, you can still read it as a mirror held up to the predicament of middle age.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University teachers and researchers who want to recognize their own situation in others' stories
Literary readers drawn to midlife-crisis themes and realist writing
Readers interested in the gray areas of human nature among intellectuals
Readers who enjoy story collections and prefer to read one piece at a time

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting light romance or wish-fulfillment narrative
Readers who prefer strong plotting and fast-paced genre fiction
Those with no interest in campus settings who want purely entertaining reading

Reading tips

Read the four pieces in order, noting how the characters' situations echo one another across stories.
Pause after each piece and recall the details that made you uncomfortable—that is often where the author is pressing hardest.
Read alongside your own experience of university life, or that of people around you, to appreciate the realist detail.
Don't try to finish in one sitting; treat it as a bedside book to work through over several evenings.

About the publisher

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

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.

版权信息
譬如朝露
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五
六
七
八
九
十
十一
十二
十三
十四
十五
尾声
漫长的告别
狻猊
过午不食
1
2
3
4
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7

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a story collection?

It is a collection of novellas and short stories made up of four pieces—Like Morning Dew, A Long Farewell, Suanni, and After Noon. Each stands alone, but they echo one another thematically, all focusing on the lives and inner worlds of university intellectuals.

Can I understand it without a university background?

Yes. The author writes about specific campus settings, but the real subject is the universal predicament of middle age: marriage, career, generational relationships. Even readers unfamiliar with university life will see themselves or people they know in the characters' hesitations and compromises.

What specific issues does the book address?

According to the book's description, it covers the midlife crisis of university intellectuals, the reality of married students on campus, the impact of late-in-life second children, and post-90s counselors facing post-00s students—presenting the diversity of human nature through a realist approach.

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About the author

骆平 Author

Luo Ping: public information about her is currently limited, and her nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the four works held in the database—Liunian Danggui (Returning Home in Passing Years), Guowu Bushi (No Eating After Noon), Bantang Shike (Half-Sugar Moments), and Gaozhi Nüxing Erchongzou (Duet of Educated Women, 2 volumes)—her writing falls roughly into two categories, youth literature and social fiction, and is listed among classic works. The titles suggest a narrative style close to everyday life: detailed depictions of emotion and growing up, alongside sustained attention to the circumstances and inner worlds of contemporary urban women. The phrase "educated women" in particular indicates that her characters often have a certain educational background and a sense of self-reflection, giving the stories a tendency to combine realistic observation with psychological portrayal. Overall, Luo Ping's works address human relationships and life choices in a plain tone, without ostentation, yet reveal an attentiveness to the rhythms of ordinary people's lives in small details. Because of the lack of public biographical material, more information is still needed about her creative career and the reach of her influence.