Ma Bole
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
The novel's place in literary history is often underestimated. It is not only Xiao Hong's profound reflection on the intellectual class to which she belonged but also a deft capture of a certain widespread spiritual condition in wartime China. The seemingly absurd details—Ma Bole forever packing his suitcase yet never departing, his eloquent speeches to his family coupled with utter helplessness before reality—form a vivid metaphor for "empty talk ruining the country." Sadly, because of the author's early death, only the first part was completed, and we cannot see Ma Bole's fate in the later war; this incompleteness only widens the room for open interpretation. When reading, pay attention to how Xiao Hong interweaves individual psychology with the atmosphere of the times, and to her characteristic narrative tone—at once compassionate and incisive.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the full arc of Xiao Hong's work who want to understand her late stylistic shift
- Scholars of the satirical tradition and intellectual themes in modern Chinese literature
- History enthusiasts seeking to understand wartime social psychology through literature
- Deep readers who appreciate fine psychological portraiture and complex character development
Not a good fit for
- Readers who expect a complete story ending and struggle with unfinished works
- General readers looking for light entertainment or purely rural narrative
Reading tips
- Read Xiao Hong's earlier works such as Tales of Hulan River and The Field of Life and Death first, to appreciate the contrast with her late style
- Note the similarities and differences between Ma Bole and the "superfluous man" figures in Lu Xun's work, and consider what the wartime context adds
- Keep in mind Xiao Hong's life (she wrote this book from a sickbed in Hong Kong in 1940) to sense the subtle intertext between the author's situation and the text
About the publisher
Northern Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on contemporary and modern literary and artistic works, literary theory, and translations of foreign literature, while also covering categories such as history, popular science, Eastern philosophy, and world classics. Its collection includes 737 titles, with representative publications ranging from traditional Chinese classics such as Records of the Grand Historian, The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, and The Analects to foreign literary works including the complete classic plays of Shakespeare, Balzac's Old Goriot and Eugénie Grandet (in celebrated translations by Fu Lei), and The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Its author resources span classical figures such as Sima Qian, Song Yingxing, and Confucius, foreign writers such as Shakespeare and Balzac, and translators such as Zhu Shenghao and Fu Lei. The press combines the transmission of classics with an orientation toward general reading, developing a distinctive profile in both the editing of traditional texts and the translation of foreign literature. Public information is limited, so the above emphasizes the publishing profile reflected in the books held in the collection.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
FAQ
Where does Ma Bole stand in Xiao Hong's body of work?
Why was the novel left unfinished?
What is representative about the character Ma Bole?
Comments
Find this book
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
Xiao Hong, originally named Zhang Naiying, was a modern Chinese woman writer from Hulan, Heilongjiang. She rose to fame in 1935 with The Field of Life and Death. Her works are mostly set in the rural society of Northeast China, focusing on how ordinary people live and struggle with fate in turbulent times, with delicate, compassionate writing. Her representative work Tales of Hulan River unfolds through memories of her hometown and its people; its plain, natural language and essay-like narration portray local customs and individual experience, and it is regarded as an important achievement of modern Chinese literature. Works such as Ma Bole and Commercial Street also show her sustained observation of social reality and daily life. She died in Hong Kong in 1942 at the age of thirty-one. The library holds 175 of her works, commonly classified as social fiction and classics, reflecting her lasting influence among readers and publishers.
