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25th out of 94 books
—
17 voters
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The Republic of Wine
by
Mo Yan
When special investigator Ding Gou'er hears persistent rumors that there is cannibalism in the province called the Republic of Wine, he goes to learn the truth. Beginning at the Mount Luo Coal Mine, he meets Diamond Jin, legendary for his capacity to hold his liquor and fondness for young human flesh. A banquet is served during which the special investigator, by meal's ...more
Paperback, 356 pages
Published
August 24th 2001
by Arcade Publishing
(first published 2000)
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I hear the piteous wails of little boys in the steamers. I hear them wailing in crackling woks, on chopping blocks, in oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, anise powder, peppercorns, cinnamon, ginger and cooking liquor. They are wailing in your intestines, in the toilets and in the sewers. They are wailing in the rivers and in the septic tanks. They are wailing in the bellies of fish and in the soil of farmlands. In the bellies of whales, sharks, eels, and hairtail fish. In tassels of wheat, i...more
I would quibble with the title of this book--not that this is the wrong title, but that it was probably translated poorly. "The Republic of Wine" is a little disingeuous, mainly in tone, as the 'republic' in question is referred to as Liquorland throughout the book. Maybe "The Republic of Wine" was chosen as the phrasing of the title because it seemed more literary (I would venture to say more Asian), but Liquorland as a title would have been not only more accurate to the p...more
An article in today's NY Times made me think of this book. Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/world/...
Read the article, and then read the book (unless you are Leslie. Hi Les! This book is not for you, it will make you queasy. Sorry.) I read The Republic of Wine in a course on post-Mao film and literature, and l-o-v-e-d it. (By the way, if anyone out there would like the book and/or film list from that course, let me know - it completely changed my unders...more
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/world/...
Read the article, and then read the book (unless you are Leslie. Hi Les! This book is not for you, it will make you queasy. Sorry.) I read The Republic of Wine in a course on post-Mao film and literature, and l-o-v-e-d it. (By the way, if anyone out there would like the book and/or film list from that course, let me know - it completely changed my unders...more
Jamie
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in modern China and with a pitch black sense of humor.
Shelves:
fiction
The translation is a bit awkward and the plot is so bizarre that I gave up trying to figure it out and just enjoyed the unending stream of bizarre images and ridiculously descriptive prose. Mo Yan seems to definitely be a "more is more!" kind of writer and goes over the top of the top in describing things.
Just be aware that the central plot point of the book is a government detective sent to a fictional province of China to investigate rumors that the party officals and hi...more
Just be aware that the central plot point of the book is a government detective sent to a fictional province of China to investigate rumors that the party officals and hi...more
One of the strangest books I ever read--lent to me by my brother, who received it as a gift (ergo neither of us chose to read it; it was handed to us).
A convoluted-but-fascinating journey into a fantasy world interwoven with a real world (or the other way around, in reverse?). Whatever this book is really about, I couldn't quite put it down, even though I wanted to, at times.
A convoluted-but-fascinating journey into a fantasy world interwoven with a real world (or the other way around, in reverse?). Whatever this book is really about, I couldn't quite put it down, even though I wanted to, at times.
Probably the most accurate textual rendering I've ever encountered of being inebriated. Now prepare to be reading like a drunkard for 250 pages. Pretty amazing if you think about it, but it wasn't cohesive enough to achieve its potential. Exciting though.
The french translation is so poor it seems it was google translated ! I don't know why but could not get into that book....although I tried until the very end...
Absurd in very nice package. Drinking and cannibalism presented with black humour. Worth reading.
a sober* examination of baby-phagy
*actually, booze-soaked
*actually, booze-soaked
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Modern Chinese author, in the western world most known for his novel Red Sorghum (which was turned into a movie by the same title). Often described as the Chinese Franz Kafka or Joseph Heller.
"Mo Yan" is a pen name and means "don't speak". His real name is Guan Moye (simplified Chinese: 管谟业; traditional Chinese: 管謨業; pinyin: Guǎn Móyè).
More about Mo Yan...
"Mo Yan" is a pen name and means "don't speak". His real name is Guan Moye (simplified Chinese: 管谟业; traditional Chinese: 管謨業; pinyin: Guǎn Móyè).
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