Laika

俞胜Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaNov 2024

Rating 3.5
Word count
166K words
Chapters
14
ISBN
9787539677026

Tags

Social Fiction Natural ImageryMarginal FiguresHuman NatureAnimal MetaphorPsychological InsightNovellasUnderclass NarrativeShort StoriesNortheast ChinaFolk Life

Summary

This is a novella collection featuring eight recent works by Yu Sheng, including "Vinnie," "Laika," and "A Turtle Named Qianqian." Yu Sheng excels at using animals and crafted living environments to reveal his characters' inner worlds and personalities, rooting his search for a way to express reality deep within life itself.

His new work "Vinnie" is set in Northeast China and takes the relationship between Sun Youcai and a bear named "Vinnie" as its main thread to probe the subtleties of human nature. In plain language he depicts the myriad lives of "small people"; the story is simple yet not without warmth. The symbolic meaning formed by the bear Vinnie's own fate and its interrelation with the human characters points jointly toward the moral dimension of human good and evil. Through the relationships between people and between people and animals, the good and evil of human nature and the warmth and coldness of the world are brought into sharp relief.

Editor's review

Lai Ka is a new collection of novellas and short stories by writer Yu Sheng, published in 2023 by Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House. The book gathers eleven short stories from the author's recent years, among which the title piece, "Lai Ka," tells a moving story of the emotional bond between a Laika dog and humans, revealing individuals' persistent pursuit of dignity and feeling amid both material and spiritual hardship. Yu Sheng's style combines the austerity of realism with the warmth of romanticism; he excels at catching the glimmer of human nature in ordinary details of life, and through delicate psychological portrayal and ingenious plotting he builds textual worlds that are both close to reality and rich in allegory. In literary terms, Lai Ka continues Yu Sheng's sustained attention to the spiritual condition of ordinary people in contemporary society, focusing in particular on urban migrants, the spiritual drifting of intellectuals, and the emotional connection between humans and animals. These works lack grand narrative frameworks, yet by delving deeply into daily life they reveal the identity anxiety and emotional alienation that modern people commonly face. Reading Lai Ka is not only an experience of literary aesthetics but also a fresh examination of one's relationships with self and others. For readers familiar with Yu Sheng's earlier work, this new book marks clear breakthroughs in narrative technique and thematic depth; for those encountering him for the first time, it is an ideal entry point into the style of this substantial writer. In today's clamorous literary field, Lai Ka, with its quiet yet powerful narrative, offers us a spiritual space where emotion and thought may find a home.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read in order, paying particular attention to the title piece "Lai Ka" and to core stories such as "Moonlight" and "Reverse Growth"
  2. While reading, notice how the author reveals characters' complex inner worlds through everyday details
  3. Pause briefly after each story to reflect on its underlying metaphor and social concern

About the publisher

Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

Founded in 1984, Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publisher. Its collection of 389 titles spans classic works, essays and miscellaneous writings, Eastern philosophy, folk literature, classical literature and design. Representative books include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Laozi's Dao De Jing, Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the Shakespeare drama collection featuring Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and Othello, with Zhu Shenghao's translations adding luster to the series. Its author resources range from classic Chinese and foreign writers such as Lao She, Laozi, Luo Guanzhong and William Shakespeare to translators and authors including Zhu Shenghao, Li Chensen and Liang Sicheng. The publisher is characterized by its balance of Chinese and foreign literary classics with traditional culture titles, combining scholarly value with popular reading. Public information is limited, and the above is based mainly on the books in the collection.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 序
  3. 一只叫钱钱的龟
  4. 郭秀的婚事
  5. 雾中的牛
  6. 维尼
  7. 我要当连长
  8. 逃离
  9. 莱卡
  10. 卡桑
  11. 瓜田月下
  12. 凯特是个谜
  13. 附录
  14. 现实表达的力度及寓言化写作的可能——评俞胜中篇小说《维尼》

FAQ

What is Lai Ka mainly about? Lai Ka is a collection of novellas and short stories. Centered on the title piece, it uses a number of independent stories to explore the emotional alienation and spiritual drifting of contemporary urban people and the relationship between humans and animals, showing ordinary people's pursuit of dignity and connection amid real hardship.
What are the characteristics of Yu Sheng's writing style? Yu Sheng's writing combines the austere observation of realism with the warm touch of romanticism. He excels at using delicate psychological portrayal and ingenious narrative structure to uncover profound human themes and social concern in scenes of daily life.
What kind of reading setting does this book suit? It suits immersive reading in a quiet environment. Each short story takes about 20 to 40 minutes, making the book a good choice for evening reading or in-depth weekend reading; it prompts reflection on modern life and human relationships.

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About the author

俞胜 Author

Yu Sheng is an author about whom limited public information is available; the only confirmed work is Lycra (Laika). The work is classified as a social novel, suggesting that his writing attends to real life and social relations, approaching characters' fates and everyday experience from a social perspective. Since only this one work is included in the database and there is no information about the author's life, nationality, education, or creative career, it is not possible to trace his development or literary standing further. On the basis of the available material, Yu Sheng may be understood as a writer who has entered readers' view through social fiction, with Lycra serving as the main point of access to his writing. Readers who wish to know this author might begin with the thematic choices and narrative approach of Lycra and observe how it uses the novel form to present conflicts and emotions in social life. Other information about Yu Sheng remains to be supplemented by public sources.