|
|
Sold Out
Book Categories |
"With unadorned prose and utmost compassion, Qi portrays a range of characters beset by fortune and misfortune . . . Red Guard Fantasies offer glimpses of How to Be Chinese, now that instructions from the Little Red Book no longer apply."—Gloria Frym, author of Distance No Object
Take a wild ride through contemporary Chinese society, which continues to accelerate at a blistering, unrestrained pace decades after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Red Guard Fantasies blazes a new trail in contemporary literature by forcing a reconciliation between China's new urban sensibility and its centuries of tradition. The results are certainly not predictable. Shouhua Qi's stories are witty, poignant, absurd, and shocking. Part autobiographical, they offer a masterful depiction of the myriad world of jaded entrepreneurs, overzealous cops, karaoke addicts, dog lovers, liberated coeds, and frustrated urbanites who move in and out of China's colorful neon-lit cities and dusty rural villages, transitioning from one world to the other.
Shouhua Qi shows a China that is both superficial and plastic, as well as profoundly righteous and moralistic. He offers a powerful look at a society hanging on for dear life as it continues to shape its own culture at breakneck speed while holding on to its traditions lest they be buried or a skyscraper built upon them.
More than anything, Red Guard Fantasies is a deeply personal and powerfully moving elegy for China's lost generation.
Shouhua Qi was born in Nanjing, China. He is associate professor of English at Western Connecticut State University.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Aage Magne Sjoethun
reviewed Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories on September 15, 2012
Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories
This collections of short stories by a man who grew up during China's Cultural Revolution reminded me almost immediately of my time spent in China. The big difference, of course, is that I experienced China as a guest and a foreigner. For Dr. Qi's characters, on the other hand, China is their home and fatherland. (or is it motherland? I forget their preferred gender) Overall, I found the book to be somewhat poignant, though Mr. Qi also caused me to smile more than once. I was a bit surprised by the rampant adultery (never presented graphically) in the book. How accurately Dr. Qi caught that area of Chinese culture, I don't know. There was a lot that I missed during my brief time there. (Sheesh! Can that be taken the wrong way. Let me clarify: I had no interest in adultery in China. Nor did any adulterers proclaim their activities to me.)(If there was a Chinese equivalent to The Jerry Springer Show, I couldn't understand the language to watch it.) Anyway, it's a good book and I'm going to have to keep it on my shelf for those times when I'm missing my "home" in the Far East.
Login|Complaints|Blog|Games|Digital Media|Souls|Obituary|Contact Us|FAQ
CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? CLICK HERE!!! X
You must be logged in to add to WishlistX
This item is in your Wish List
X
This item is in your Collection
Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories
X
This Item is in Your Inventory
Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories
X
You must be logged in to review the productsX
X
X
Add Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories, With unadorned prose and utmost compassion, Qi portrays a range of characters beset by fortune and misfortune . . . Red Guard Fantasies offer glimpses of How to Be Chinese, now that instructions from the Little Red Book no longer apply.—Gl, Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
X
Add Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories, With unadorned prose and utmost compassion, Qi portrays a range of characters beset by fortune and misfortune . . . Red Guard Fantasies offer glimpses of How to Be Chinese, now that instructions from the Little Red Book no longer apply.—Gl, Red Guard Fantasies and Other Stories to your collection on WonderClub |
