To Live
A Novel
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by Hua Yu,
Translated by Michael Berry
Anchor Books
Due/Published
September 2003, 256 pages,
paper
ISBN
1400031869
An acclaimed Chinese bestseller, originally banned in China but recently named one of the last decade's ten most influential books there, To Live tells the story of one man's transformation from the spoiled son of a rich landlord to an honorable and kindhearted peasant. After squandering his family's fortune in gambling dens and brothels, the young, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer. Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behind his family, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Left with an ox as the companion of his final years, Fugui stands as a model of flinty authenticity, buoyed by his appreciation for life in this narrative of humbling power. "A major contemporary novelist, Yu Hua writes with a cold eye but a warm heart. His novels are ingeniously structured and exude a mythical aura. Though unmistakably Chinese, they are universally resonant." -- Ha Jin |
