The feelings of the Holy Virgin

Author: Mu Shiying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: If you want to pick out the modern figures among contemporary writers, anyone with a basic knowledge of literary history wouldn't miss Mu Shiying. As one of the most talented representatives of the New Sensibility movement, Mu Shiying exudes a modern aura in nearly every aspect of his work. He depicts urban popular culture, constructing a Shanghai composed of cafes, dance halls, cars, jazz, and grand hotels through a series of bizarre and fantastical urban scenes. The protagonists in his novels are tired and decadent men and women, indulging in cigarettes and alcohol, taking pleasure in hunting each other. His obsession with and weariness of Shanghai give his portrayal of the city a modern touch: the objectification of people, the repeated depiction of the same scenes, the mass production of consumer culture, and the absence of emotion, among other things.