Bear

Name: Bear
ISBN: 9787533977160

Andrew Krivak / 黄建树Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaOct 2024

Rating 4.0

Word count: 61K words
Chapters: 23
ISBN: 9787533977160

Summary

In a future where human civilization is about to vanish, a girl and her father live in the shadow of a lonely mountain. They possess a few relics of civilization: some books, a piece of glass, a flint-and-steel set, a comb. The father teaches the girl to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars, preparing her to live in harmony with nature when she comes of age—for they are the last generation of humans. Soon, the girl is left alone in the world. She discovers that if she learns to listen, a bear will lead her across the vast wilderness and back home—the greatest lesson she has yet to learn...

Editor's review

This is a novel written in spare, minimalist prose, treating its post-apocalyptic setting as a quiet fable of growing up. Krivak does not play up scenes of disaster; instead, he lets the father pass on to the girl, bit by bit, the knowledge of fishing, hunting, and reading the seasons and the stars—these everyday skills form the last warmth of civilization. The relics—books, glass, flint, comb—are repeatedly handled, becoming thin threads between the person and a vanished world. The section in which the girl, having lost her father, travels with the bear is the book's turning point: listening is not a figure of speech but her way of surviving and coming to understand home anew. Huang Jianshu's translation is restrained and lucid, suited to slow reading in quiet hours. Its value lies not in offering answers about the end of the world but in making us reexamine the relationship between humans and nature, and between teaching and farewell; after reading, one is apt to feel a new appreciation for the concrete things around one.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who enjoy quiet, fable-like fiction and are willing to read slowly
Readers interested in the human-nature relationship and ecological themes
People going through farewell or loss who need gentle companionship
Adolescent readers of middle-school age and above with some patience for reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot and fast-paced post-apocalyptic adventure
Readers who prefer dense dialogue and large casts of characters
Readers who need a clear explanation of the ending and dislike open endings

Reading tips

Read one or two chapters a day, leaving pauses for the restrained prose to settle in the mind
Pay attention to the recurring descriptions of relics and skills; they are clues to understanding the themes
After finishing, write a short note about a 'skill passed on to you' in your own life
Read alongside works on the human-nature relationship such as The Old Man and the Sea

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
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22

FAQ

Is this a typical post-apocalyptic adventure novel?

No. The apocalypse is only a background setting; the book contains almost no disaster scenes or confrontations. Its focus is the father's everyday teaching of the girl, the memories of civilization evoked by the relics, and the girl's inner changes as she travels alone with the bear. It is closer to a coming-of-age fable, quiet in pace, and requires patience for slow reading.

What does the bear symbolize in the book?

In the material, the bear appears as a companion after the girl learns to listen, leading her across the wilderness back home. It is more like a guide figure of natural power than an anthropomorphized character. Readers may understand it as a medium through which the girl reestablishes a connection with nature; its specific meaning leaves much room for interpretation.

Is it suitable for children?

Adolescents of middle-school age and above with some patience for reading can read it. The book touches on heavy themes such as the extinction of humanity and the father's death, but treats them with restraint and contains no graphic descriptions. Younger children may find the open-ended narrative hard to understand; parents are advised to read it first before deciding whether to read it together.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Andrew Krivak Author · United States

Andrew Krivak is an American novelist whose life and full body of work have so far received only limited introduction in the Chinese-speaking world, and publicly available material on him remains scarce. One of his works is included here: his representative novel The Bear. Centered on survival in the wilderness, the novel unfolds around humanity's place in nature and explores the relationship between people and the natural world, one of both dependence and confrontation. In terms of subject matter, Krivak's writing tends to place characters in natural settings far removed from the bustle of society, using the harsh test of survival to reveal human loneliness, resilience, and perception of the world. Stylistically, he favors atmosphere and restrained, understated narration rather than dense plotting. For readers of foreign literature, such a work offers an entry point for understanding nature writing and ecological concern in contemporary American fiction. Given the limited material available, his complete creative trajectory and biographical details await further translation and documentation.

黄建树 Author

Huang Jianshu is an author about whom little public information is available; existing sources do not yet confirm his nationality, dates of birth and death, or personal history. Judging from the five works held in the collection, his writing spans foreign literature and social culture. Representative titles include Four-Sided Wind, Bygone Days, How Not to Be Submerged by a Glass of Water, Becoming a Mother: A Confession of an Intellectual Woman, and Bear. These titles suggest a sustained attention to everyday experience, the passage of time, women's circumstances, and family relationships. His subjects often begin with concrete life situations and are handled with close observation and restrained emotion. Becoming a Mother, in particular, explores the tension between childbirth and selfhood for an intellectual woman, showing the author's sensitivity to gender issues and individual choice. Overall, Huang Jianshu's writing tends toward introspection and realism, revealing psychological depth in ordinary circumstances; though his output is small, it shows a willingness to explore across subjects and merits readers' attention.