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Summary
Since taking up her military-doctor father's mantle, Auntie has promoted modern delivery methods in the countryside, matched wits with ignorant midwives, and saved thousands of mothers and newborns, becoming the "guardian spirit" of the women of Northeast Township. As birth policy changed, Auntie, now a family-planning officer, came to be avoided by the villagers.
Childbirth is arguably the first great matter in Chinese life. Here one sees the clash between traditional attitudes and birth policy, the preference for sons, the hardships of uncontrolled childbirth, the surrogacy questions still debated today, and the many faces of life beneath the issue of reproduction.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Deep readers interested in contemporary Chinese history and social change
- Readers who appreciate Mo Yan's literary style and want to explore his work after the Nobel Prize
- Readers who want to think about bioethics, social policy, and individual fate
- Readers looking for narrative innovation and literary fiction
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or pure diversion
- Readers uncomfortable with heavy themes involving a particular historical period
Reading tips
- Pay attention to the complexity of "Auntie," the central figure: she is both an executor of policy and a bearer of its consequences, and her inner journey is key to understanding the book.
- Note the multiple symbolic meanings of the frog image and the distinctive reading experience created by the interwoven letters and play script.
- After reading, consider Mo Yan's other works, such as Big Breasts and Wide Hips, and reflect on the recurring motifs and historical perspective in his writing.
About the publisher
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.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一部
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 十三
- 十四
- 十五
- 第二部
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 第三部
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 第四部
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 第五部 蛙——九幕话剧
- 人物表
- 第一幕
- 第二幕
- 第三幕
- 第四幕
- 第五幕
- 第六幕
- 第七幕
- 第八幕
- 第九幕
- 听取蛙声一片——代后记
FAQ
Is Frog only about family planning?
Will I have trouble reading Frog if I haven't read other works by Mo Yan?
What are the features of the book's writing style?
Comments
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About the author
Mo Yan, whose original name is Guan Moye, was born on February 17, 1955, in Gaomi, Shandong, and is a major contemporary Chinese writer. He rose to fame in the 1980s with rural works such as Red Sorghum and Transparent Carrot, and his writing often blends magical realism with folk narrative traditions, focusing on rural society, historical memory, and the lives of ordinary people. His major works include Sandalwood Death, Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Frog, The Republic of Wine, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Red Sorghum, and The Garlic Ballads. His works are commonly classified as social fiction, folk literature, and classics, and he has also written essays and miscellaneous pieces. In 2011 he won the Mao Dun Literature Prize for Frog, and in 2012 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Chinese national to win that award.
