Getting By
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
In terms of reading value, the book's most striking quality is its documentary and archival character. It does not rush to construct dramatic conflict or offer clear moral judgments; rather, through a wealth of trivial, authentic, even slightly rough-edged fragments of life, it assembles the spiritual and material transformation of a family and indeed a village. The characters make no grand declarations of ideals; their struggles, compromises, joys, and numbness all revolve around the most primal question of "how to keep living." This stance makes the book unusually calm and powerful among works on rural themes, resembling a field notebook written in words—a precious and unique sample for readers seeking to understand the social fabric and individual psychic history of rural China in a particular historical period.
For readers accustomed to polished literary expression, the narrative rhythm and language style may require some adjustment. Yet it is precisely this unadorned plainness that constitutes its core impact. It invites readers to set aside preconceptions and look directly at the complexity and weight of life itself.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the relationship between contemporary rural social change in China and individual destiny
- Readers who appreciate realist literary style and prefer calm, restrained narrative techniques
- Sociology and anthropology researchers or students, who may use it as supplementary reading for understanding grassroots society
- Readers seeking the texture of real life in literature rather than dramatic plot
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking intense story conflict, fast-paced plot, and clear-cut good-versus-evil opposition
- Readers hoping for light entertainment or spiritual comfort from reading
Reading tips
- Enter the text with a plain, quiet frame of mind; do not rush to find a main storyline—try instead to feel the era's information and emotional tension embedded in details.
- While reading, pay some attention to the states and conversations of minor characters; they often carry the ambient atmosphere and collective unconscious.
- After reading, consider extending your reflections with some nonfiction works on rural China for a more three-dimensional understanding.
About the publisher
Xinhua Publishing House is known for books on politics, journalism, biography and the social sciences. Its 519 titles in the catalog cover world history, social culture, history reading, military affairs, language and writing, and applied psychology. Representative books include Winston Churchill's multi-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, John Dewey's Art as Experience, Wayne Booth's The Craft of Research, and The Chicago Guide to Writing About Research, as well as military history such as Defeat into Victory: The Decisive Campaign in Burma and India, 1942–1945. Its authors range from international figures such as Churchill, Dewey and Booth to Chinese writers including Wu Hao, Luo Dingzi, Li Xuehua and Zhao Hong, giving the press a distinctive profile that balances classic translation with practical writing and emphasizes both history and the social sciences.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 说几句心里话（代序）
- 中篇小说卷
- 活得像人
- 大户人家
- 渭河滩
- 新农民
- 井儿
- 短篇小说卷
- 寡妇门前
- 错报丧
- 黄线线
- 咬断铁锨
- 瓜刚娃
- 胡老师
- 书呆子
- 老九
- 刘蔓菁
- 巴巴子
- 温热的鸡蛋
- 带香味的橡皮
- 简单的快乐
- 芸芸众生
- 斜阳洒满场院
- 饸饹床子嘎嘎响
- 体育老师和他的燕雀儿
- 惹事的红苕
- 雁阵
- 灵异的冰棍
- 悍妇
- 梁担秋
- 刘华东
- 赵立新
- 半拉地球
- 另类现场会
- 另类绝活儿
- 经典革命派
- 遥远的挽歌
- 毒誓
- 茄子
- 半蒲篮
- 粗婆婆
- 双麻秆
- 老荡
- 王吊胡献血
- 宽碌躲债
- 拉炭奇遇
- 炒面客
- 老会计
- 三宵妹
- 他是我哥
- 免税碑
- 不要在我面前打我父亲
- 我一定要个说法
- 王麦钩
- 庄稼苗儿庄稼地
- 后记
FAQ
Is this book a novel or documentary writing?
Is the book's tone especially heavy and oppressive?
Does author Zhao Junfeng have any special background?
Comments
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About the author
Zhao Junfeng is an author about whom limited public information is available. It is currently known only that two of his works are held in the collection, falling into the categories of social science and social fiction. His representative works include The Way of Governance in a Risk Society: Coordinated Government Response to Major Public Emergencies and Getting By. Judging from the titles and categories, the former is a social science study focusing on coordinated government response to major public emergencies, reflecting an interest in risk society and public administration; the latter is classified as social fiction and is likely a narrative work set against social reality. The marked difference between the two subjects shows the author's exploration in both academic inquiry and literary expression, but since no public information about his life or identity is available, no further introduction to his background can be provided at this time.
