Red coal

Author: Liu Qingbang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Liu Qingbang, a renowned writer, presents a new long-form masterpiece. The novel narrates the story of a farmer-turned-temporary coal miner who resorts to any means to climb the social ladder, highlighting the human nature's mutation and soul's distortion in the process. In the mid-1980s, Song Changyu, a farmer on a rotational work program at a state-owned coal mine, schemes to become a permanent employee by pursuing the mine director's daughter. The mine director pretextually fires him, planting a seed of hatred in his heart. Later, he wins over the daughter of the village party secretary at the red coal factory and becomes the head of the village-owned coal mine. As money pours in, his desires escalate, unleashing the full extent of human evil. The novel excels in delicate and meticulous descriptions, thoroughly portraying the protagonist Song Changyu's journey of attachment, struggle, revenge, and downfall. The author is exceptionally familiar with coal mine life, and his writing carries a light yet profound demeanor. His brushstrokes move with composure, leaving the reader in awe. In depicting coal mine life, the author's words are so deeply intertwined with the essence of life that it is said no one can surpass him.