Lin Jinlan's classic novels

Author: Lin Jinlan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Lin Jinlan, a renowned contemporary short story writer, is often referred to as one of the "Twin Gems of Literature" alongside Wang Zengqi and is celebrated as the "Master of the Short Story." In the "Generations Together" literary world of the New Period, Lin Jinlan may not have been the kind of writer who "captured the cultural scene" or dominated the era. However, his novels always created their own unique worlds—worlds that were irreproducible and difficult to define. These worlds hover at the edge of our everyday experiences, seemingly both emotional and indifferent, understandable yet unfathomable, appearing clear yet actually ambiguous, as if silently revealing or concealing something. Was it indifference? Transcendence? Or perhaps playfulness? A writer who had lived through half a lifetime of social vicissitudes, someone who had "aged writing" amid the changes of the times, inevitably infused his unique insights, wisdom, beliefs, and hopes—derived from history, from the rise and fall of people and affairs, and from life itself—into his works. This book is a collection of his selected works, carefully curated by Lin Jinlan himself, covering the main style of his novels. It includes works such as The Eel, The Vendors, Classmates, Trembling, Five Cents, Spring Festival, and Dream Shoes!
Since the rise of the button market in Dian Bridge, there have been over 600 shops and stalls specializing in buttons. In the old days, visitors from Hubei and Hunan were rare guests, traveling thousands of miles just to reach the county seat. No one would come to Dian Bridge—why would they cross the-shaped mountains? The local specialties were nothing more valuable than spring tea and winter bamboo shoots, which could simply be bought in the county seat. Now, buttons—something Grandpa never could have imagined—have drawn customers from as far north as Northeast China and Inner Mongolia, and as far south as Hong Kong.
Next, over 30 restaurants opened on the street, with one almost every fifty steps. The more upscale ones had glass showcases, while the less fancy ones were simple stalls, displaying whole legs of meat, pairs of chickens and ducks, oysters from Huagang Harbor, lively shrimp, and squawking fresh fish as real-life signs. Inside the stalls, steam rose from boiling pots and steaming trays, while smoke from wok-fried dishes filled the air. These 30 restaurants added the appetizing sights, scents, and flavors to the 600 button shops, luring the entire street into a festive atmosphere of drinking, eating meat, and celebrating the New Year.