Gluttonous Beast

Author: Sun Fangyou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: The author has gained acclaim in the literary world with a series of new notebook novels such as Notes from Chenzhou and Characters of a Small Town. His concise and distinctive narrative style opens a delicate window onto contemporary Chinese literature, allowing readers to glimpse the writing habits of old-style scholars from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. By reforming the form of Ming-Qing notebook novels, he ensures the completeness of the content and the vividness of the characters, while infusing new content into the old culture in a "new wine in an old bottle" manner. For example, on an old robed couch left over from a previous dynasty, 21st-century county and township cadres compete to sleep, thereby creating a time tunnel that blends politics, economy, history, and culture into one bed, carrying the author's multiple layers of meaning. In other related stories, he continues this reflection on history and culture, vividly depicting an ancient and profound land, a city with a long-standing civilization, a diverse group of people, and a collection of legendary and supernatural tales in a spectacular manner.