Ant

Author: Xiao Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Ants is the third full-length novel by the 80s author Xiao Fan, published as a standalone volume. The author made extensive revisions based on the version published in Harvest, using a more focused pen to showcase his "childhood memories." A young writer begins to recall his childhood and portrays the life of teenagers in the "last generation of urban-rural integration" through absurd and exaggerated methods, presenting a fairy-tale world that has already disappeared and will never return. This is unprecedented among several generations of Chinese writers. The author frankly admits that the novel is titled Ants because he wanted to "atone" for this creature. He claims to have deep feelings for ants. As a childhood playmate that appeared "on call," ants accompanied Xiao Fan almost every summer during his student years. Due to loneliness, "killing" ants under the scorching sun became Xiao Fan's most common way to alleviate his solitude during his childhood. The brutal process of killing ants is vividly detailed by the author in the novel multiple times. Ants also serve as the fifth narrator in the story, ubiquitous and running through the entire novel. Xiao Fan has always been an anomaly among the 80s writers. While most were writing about romantic relationships, fate, or personal experiences, he devoted himself to creating a brutal story of teenage clashes. When most people assumed he would use his strengths in humor and absurdity, he instead returned to tradition, crafting a poem of youth with simple and unadorned language. This is a story about "origin" and "friendship."