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A New York Times Notable Book A Washington Post, Los Angeles times, and San Jose Mercury News Best Book of the Year Ha Jin’s seismically powerful new novel is at once an unblinking look into the bell jar of communist Chinese society and a portrait of the eternal compromises and deceptions... read more

Summary edit see section history

Set against the backdrop of the Tianamen Square uprising, a Chinese literature professor suffers a stroke and relives his suffering in the Cultural Revolution through his dementia. His star pupil and future son in law is tasked with caring for him but is disturbed at what he learns from the... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Set against the backdrop of the Tianamen Square uprising, a Chinese literature professor suffers a stroke and relives his suffering in the Cultural Revolution through his dementia. His star pupil and future son in law is tasked with caring for him but is disturbed at what he learns from the old man’s ravings.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “It’s personal interests, that motivate the individual and therefore generate the dynamics of history.”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • I was crazed, unable to think logically, and was possessed by an intense desire to prove that I was a man capable of action and choice.
    Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
  • In his first twenty years, Man lives a monkey’s life. He capers around and climbs trees and walls, doing things at will. This period, his happiest, passes quickly. Then comes the next twenty years, in which Man lives a donkey’s life.
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
  • his brain becomes too full and cannot but burst. It’s like a pressure cooker which is so full that the safety valve is blocked up, but the fire continues heating its bottom. As a consequence, the only way out is to explode.”
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
  • After this period Man has reached forty, and human life begins. By now his body is worn out, his limbs are feeble and heavy, and he has to rely on his brain, which has begun deteriorating too,
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
  • Many of us have been poor all our lives, but we are rich in our hearts, content to be a Don Quixote.”
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

First Sentence edit see section history

Everybody was surprised when Professor Yang suffered a stroke in the spring of 1989.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapters 1 - 35

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Ha Jin (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: William Heinemann
Country: UK
Publication Date: 2002
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: Add the page count.

Classification edit see section history


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