Youth

Name: Youth
ISBN: 9787201078878

Han HanTianjin People's Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

3.8

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 59
ISBN: 9787201078878

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Summary

Han Han's compassion, and where the hope of this generation of young people lies. From the brashness of twenty-two to self-awakening at thirty, from commentary on major events to a deep scrutiny of himself. In 2011, the "barbed hook" case, the Jingzhou corpse-haggling incident, the Zhuzhou bridge collapse, The Founding of a Republic... every event, great or small, is deconstructed in Han Han's most distinctive way of thinking. If the Han Han of the past impressed people as a young idol who found fame early, spoke without restraint and opposed the existing education system, "unorthodox and maverick," then in this book the twenty-nine-year-old Han Han already presents himself as a public intellectual. Here his writing shows not only sharpness but weight. Han Han himself says that words without weight have no power. And so, in Youth, we see a Han Han who has grown up making his weighty free expression in a mature stance.

Editor's review

Youth reveals the path by which Han Han moved from being a young writer to public expression. The book contains both immediate commentary on specific social news and retrospective self-examination of his own growth: the former is sharp-edged, the latter honest and candid. He often starts from a detail or a rhetorical question, pulling seemingly distant events back into the circumstances of ordinary people, giving readers a feeling of being awakened. Compared with the cleverness and provocation of his early years, the writing here has more restraint and weight; beneath the emotions there is judgment, and after the mockery there are follow-up questions. The youth named in the title refers not only to age but also to a state of still being willing to question the world. It does not provide answers, but it can help people reorganize their own questions; if you care about how a writer maintains his own tone amid the clamor of many voices, this book is also an observable sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers interested in essays and miscellaneous writings who want to see sharp expression
People concerned with public issues who hope to learn how to articulate their views clearly
Longtime readers who have read Han Han's early works and want to see how his writing has changed
Office workers who need something stimulating to read in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete full-length story and strong plot
People who do not accept strongly subjective commentary with clear stances
Readers hoping to gain systematic social analysis from the book

Reading tips

Read by jumping between pieces, first choosing the events you care about, then going back to the personal reflections
After each piece, pause for a minute and write down one point you disagree with
Treat the events involved only as background and focus on how he raises questions

About the publisher

Tianjin People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1950

Tianjin People's Publishing House publishes across such fields as classic works, foreign literature, architecture, social culture and social sciences, with 749 relevant titles in the collection. In the areas of classics and scholarship, works such as Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua and Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil and Fertility and Reproduction reflect a sustained attention to social culture and classic texts of thought. Architectural books are represented by Liang Sicheng's Annotated Yingzao Fashi and A History of Chinese Architecture, showing an emphasis on architectural heritage and building traditions. In foreign literature, translations of Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, through the work of translators such as Li Gang and Yu Dawei, form a substantial series of translated works. Overall, the press combines classic texts, scholarly works and fine translations, with a publishing character oriented toward humanistic depth and the dissemination of knowledge.

版权信息
作者简介
序言
青春
他人的生活
马上会跌，跌破一千
必须抵制法国货
五毛现形记
直辖市小费若干问答
来自某市的神秘公司
山寨立法
杭州的交通事故
应养成上车就系安全带的习惯
需要真相，还是需要符合需要的真相
株洲的垮桥事故
系统提醒你，以下内容包含不良信息
建国大业
倒钩案
关于几部影片
爱的代价
G8高速公路
这是一个庞大而复杂的工程
谷歌侵权门
我接受谷歌的六十美元，并欢迎谷歌扫描我的图书
为了食油，声讨百度
给李彦宏先生的一封信
你知道的
荆州挟尸要价
我在上海，活得很好
城市，让生活更糟糕 ——嘉定区世博论坛演讲稿
乞
诸恶与众善
拍一拍身上的土
给点咸菜吃
2010新年随想
我只是在探索
看《孔子》
你是小明吗
感谢你，孔子
答记者问：送点土特产
关于小书店
被迫盼世博
遗憾的比赛
致徐浪：生活像跳楼一样往下延续
毫无保留
必须竖中指
我回来了
500年前
千万不要带头干坏事
几多事
让中国变成世界上比较快的国家
终于获得N组冠军
几多遗憾
春天的故事
左小祖咒：悲伤地坐在你身旁
夏安，回见，勿念。
一些琐事
莫名，我就仇恨你
纪念母校——致青春预备役

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of essays and miscellaneous writings?

Judging from the content, it consists mainly of commentary on social events and self-examination of personal experience, so it is closer to essays and miscellaneous writings than to a coherent full-length novel. You do not need to follow the plot in order; it is more suitable to read it as a series of independent expressions, and it is also easier to perceive the shifts in tone between pieces.

Can I read it directly if I have not read Han Han's earlier works?

Yes. Most of the pieces in the book stand on their own and do not depend on background from earlier works. Still, if you know his early style, full of youthful brashness, it will be easier to feel the changes in his tone and judgment, and the reading will have more layers.

Are the views in the book already outdated?

The commentary in the book addresses specific events of its time, and some figures and news details now feel distant. But the author's way of pursuing questions and his attention to the circumstances of ordinary people are not outdated; it can be read as material for observing the mood of public opinion in a certain period.

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About the author

Han Han Author · Chinese · 1982

Han Han, born on September 23, 1982, in Jinshan, Shanghai, is a contemporary Chinese author, professional racing driver, and film director. In 1999, he won first prize in the inaugural New Concept Writing Competition with “A Man Seen Through a Cup.” In 2000, he rose to fame with his novel Triple Door. He went on to publish works including Subzero, Changan Chaos, 1988: I Want to Talk to This World, and Youth. His writing spans wuxia, social novels, and essays, and is known for personal narration and a humorous yet incisive view of youth and social reality. As a professional racer, he won both circuit and rally annual championships, and in 2010 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.