false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179918681m/972789.jpg 972789 12 Novelist, playwright, essayist, and short-story writer Gao Xingjian is that rare breed of artist able to express himself with equal grace in almost any form of literature. In 2000 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in recognition of his astonishing talents. The collection <i>Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather</i> offers this author's own selection and arrangement of his shorter fiction. <br> <br> Written between 1983 and 1990, these beautifully translated stories take as their themes the fragility of love and life, and the haunting power of memory. In "The Temple" the narrator's acute and mysterious anxiety overshadows the "delirious happiness" of an outing with his new wife on their honeymoon. In "The Cramp" a man narrowly escapes drowning in the sea, only to find that no one even noticed his absence. In "The Accident" a bus hits a cyclist and, as in stop-action film, the chaotic aftermath gives way to a calm, ordinary street corner with no trace of the previous drama. In the title story the narrator attempts to "unburden myself of homesickness" only to find himself lost in a labyrinth of childhood memories. Everywhere in this collection are powerful psychological portraits of characters whose unarticulated hopes and fears betray the never-ending presence of the past in their present lives. <br> <br> Gao Xingjian has shown a mastery of the epic form in his novels <i>Soul Mountain</i> and <i>One Man's Bible.</i> In <i>Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather, </i>he brings the same passion and precision to the short story. 1147269 1997 Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather: Stories total:103|5:18|4:41|3:28|2:13|1:3| 103 367 165 17 4 0 false false Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Dec 20 03:39:03 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 03:39:56 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false true Wed Mar 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 22:16:32 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 21:20:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false true Sat Nov 29 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 13:35:57 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 13:41:52 -0800 2008 1
In the eponymous story, there are some interesting interior d...more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 03:22:35 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 03:23:06 -0700 2008 4 2 false false Wed Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 09:17:33 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 09 05:09:35 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 18:51:32 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 04:53:17 -0800 2009
Perhaps its the fault of the translator, but I found the prose though evocative and easy...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 07:01:38 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 07:11:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 15:08:24 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 08:45:03 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Nov 10 10:37:21 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 10:37:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Jul 10 13:14:25 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 10 13:21:11 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Sep 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 26 08:03:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 26 08:06:05 -0700 2008 Soul Mountain was better, but if you'r...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Jul 25 20:56:06 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 25 20:56:06 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Jan 10 17:54:54 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 14:46:28 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jun 10 04:08:57 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 04:14:37 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Mon Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jan 22 14:24:40 -0800 2009 Mon Oct 05 10:43:24 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Mar 04 00:54:00 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 00:54:23 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed Jul 25 20:21:49 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 03:28:55 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Fri Nov 27 00:42:34 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 00:42:34 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 24 07:56:46 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 07:56:46 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 14 01:22:05 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 01:22:05 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=972789