Red Guards

Author: Fang Nanjiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: When an editor has written content summaries for many years, looking back today, it seems quite foolish—truly wrote oneself into a corner. Entering an era of lies, empty talk, and clichés, the more truthful the words, the more they resemble lies. Moreover, due to the increasingly thinning literary market, editors sometimes cannot help but put on a show. The content of this book is all on the cover—neither too much nor too little. If readers believe it, they can relax and read the entire book. As for the author, I’d like to say a few words. Fang Nanjiang is a professional military officer. His father was too. Later, he was promoted to general. However, the literary world was unaware that the People’s Armed Police Corps had a novel-writing general. In fact, in the 1980s, Fang Nanjiang won the National Short Story Award in 1980, and at that time, the literary prize carried significant weight. After that, Fang Nanjiang wrote some short and medium-length stories, which received good responses, and then he mysteriously disappeared. When Fang Nanjiang reappeared, it was in the spring of 2004, at the beginning of the new century, as a clean and seemingly young man, quietly sitting in the back row of the Writers’ Class at the Lu Xun Academy of Arts and Literature. Fang Nanjiang attended as an auditor, listening to every teacher’s lectures. He not only took notes on each teacher’s words but also remembered every fellow writer-student, though he was unsure if the students still remembered him. A few months later, The Chinese Guards was published. This was Fang Nanjiang’s first full-length novel, but definitely not his last. Because, The Chinese Guards received heartfelt praise and encouragement from literary colleagues both inside and outside the military. Four magazines—The Selection of Long Fiction (issue 1), People’s Liberation Army Literature, China Writers, and Olive Green—simultaneously reprinted and selected excerpts from it, a rare occurrence in contemporary literary circles. This was both an honor for Fang Nanjiang and an honor for quality literature. This witty and humorous novel is as captivating as a dark forest, demonstrating the power of language and unveiling a mysterious corner of military life.