In these twelve stories, we see the astonishing range of Mo Yan's vision - which critics reviewing The Republic of Wine have compared to that of Tolstoy. The stories range from the tragic to the comic, though Mo Yan's humor is always tinged with a shade of black. They embody, too, the author's deep and abiding love of his fellow man, equaled only by his intense disdain of bureaucracy and repression. His fiction is never didactic. Satire, fantasy, the supernatural, mystery: all are present in this remarkable, and intensely enjoyable, volume.
Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh
JS(Hong Kong)
I've only read some of the stories in this collection because I've been tied up lately.
I think I like Shifu, You'll do anything for a laugh most. The protagonist, Ding Shifu, an upright man as well as a model worker in his state-owned factory, was laid off the day before his retirement. His lifetime loyalty to his position and his factory has suddenly proved futile. His savings are soon used up; he & his wife has to face financial difficulty in their old age.
Ding Shifu, inspired by the idea of 'pay toilet' and in a reckless attempt to make a living, creates a 'pay love cottage' out of an abandoned bus dumped on a deserted spot next to a pond where many young lovers go for swimming and 'sharing their love'. Before long, his love cottage turns out to be a great success.
One day, a pair of lovers who are desperate for a quite place to have a talk come to his cottage. After locking themselves in, the pair doesn't come out again...
Ding Shifu is an admirable character in many ways...the only flaw will be his opening of the 'love cottage' but it was pretty much a forced act because the old man is desperate for a way to survive in this cruel society. However, the writer seems to have no pity on this character and his secret business was finally bought to light. I guess the writer is trying to reflect the reality in our society where no mercy will come upon you no matter how pathetic you are.
2007-06-04 00:29 | 1 comment
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