Pingle County Chronicles

Yan Ge, winner of The New Yorker Book of the Year and The New York Times Book of the Year, returns with a new Chinese novel from the "Pingle Town Series." A postmodern "Three Words and Two Shots" novel, a small town in western Sichuan with its ups and downs, and the era behind it. Recommended by Zhai Yongming, Yu Hua, Alai, Li Zishu, and Danbao.
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【Highlights of the Work】
Welcome back to Pingle Town! Winner of The New Yorker Book of the Year, The New York Times Book of the Year, and Asia Weekly's Top Ten Chinese Novels of the Year, Yan Ge returns with a new Chinese novel in the "Pingle Town Series" after a long absence. Yan Ge is a highly acclaimed novelist in the Chinese-speaking world. With her vibrant prose, she has created a unique "Pingle Town literary world" and pioneered a distinctive style of contemporary Chinese fiction. She has won the Mao Dun Newcomer Award, People's Literature's "Future 20" list, the PEN Translation Award, and the Silver Medal of the Warwick Women in Translation Prize. She was one of the five judges for the Dublin International Literary Prize and served as a final judge for the Irish National Laureate. Regarded as "one of the few powerful storytellers of our time," she writes in both Chinese and English, exploring her unique position within the time and space frameworks of ancient and modern times, and between China and the West. Pingle County Chronicles is her latest Chinese novel which took her eight years to write. The story takes place in East Street of Pingle Town. This time, Pingle Town has shed its previous religious and mythological secrets or carnival-style scandals. Yan Ge tells the last story of the "Pingle Town Series" in the tone of a storyteller.
A young woman's return and departure, a small town in western Sichuan, and the era behind it. The Pingle Town literary archive, written in the form of a fictional local chronicle, "leaves behind its own version of the era in which I live." The novel features a young woman, Chen Diju, and Fu Qihong, the retiring deputy director of the County Chronicles Office. Its multi-tone structure weaves a deep cross-section of Pingle Town's urban life and officialdom. Yan Ge's skillful realism, balancing the urban atmosphere and folk ethics, vividly recreates the vibrant textures of everyday life, creating a deeply moving narrative of the sudden shifts in fate between the Fu and Chen families and the underlying social power struggles. Through the story of "the demise of an insignificant individual," the novel depicts the complex social landscape and turbulent moods of the 2010s, reflecting the impact of urbanization, the development of the internet economy, and other eras. It also explores human relationships, folk ethics, moral doctrines, and the fleeting nature of life.
A postmodern take on "Three Words and Two Shots." Classical parody with a modern core, a fresh experiment in contemporary Chinese fiction. — Yan Ge consciously modernizes the Three Words and Two Shots vernacular novel, constantly employing clichés like "Dear readers" to construct a fictitious storytelling context. He skillfully employs various classical poetic and rhymed verses, blending classic and modern sensibilities to create a subtle irony and postmodern collage. "This so-called 'fair voice' that has always echoed in the background of our literary tradition, expressing its bias, narrow-mindedness, self-contradictory nature, and misogyny—is this the authoritative voice that we, as readers and listeners, should heed and trust? This is the question I want to linger on."
"This is our destiny." Recommended by Zhai Yongming, Yu Hua, Alai, Li Zishu, and Dan Bao, "The power it possesses to reshape dialects and contemporary stories is astonishing." —— "The Pingle County Chronicle imbues the small lives of our generation with the breadth and melancholy of epic poetry, laced with both crisis and mystery. For the epochal changes our generation has experienced—the subtle sense of passing when looking back, and the disillusioned pride we feel when looking forward—no other book is more moving, more genuine, and more filled with detail. Overwhelming change, mud and sand swept through, a sense of impermanence coexisting with evolution, endless choices yet no other—this is our destiny."
The cover, designed by emerging designer Xihe and illustrated by illustrator BEIBEI, captures a vibrant sense of life and unique artistry. The cover illustration, centered around the book's core image, the pig, evokes the savory, spicy food, everyday life, and the diverse desires of the characters. Unfolding the cover reveals a topographical map of Pingle County, capturing everything within.
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【Content Introduction】
"Pingle County Chronicles" is the latest novel by author Yan Ge, and the finale of his "Pingle Town Series." Comprising fourteen chapters, the book takes place on East Street in Pingle Town. Focusing on Fu Qihong, the soon-to-retire Deputy Director of the County Chronicles Office, and his daughter-in-law, Chen Diju, the story weaves together the ups and downs of a young couple against the vicissitudes of small-town officialdom. Each possesses their own inner struggles, yearning for fulfillment but unable to achieve it. When these two strands intersect, they weave a meticulously crafted trap, unraveling the inner workings of a game within a game, and a brutal, life-or-death situation looms. The novel, like a literary archive of Pingle Town, offers a panoramic record of the town's East Street and the turbulent moods of its citizens circa 2010, reflecting the town's urbanization, the development of the internet economy, and other historical shifts.
Pingle County Chronicles is a postmodern take on the "Three Words and Two Shots" (Sanyan Erpai) vernacular novel. Yan Ge consciously modernizes the novel, narrating it in a storyteller's voice, skillfully employing various classical poetic rhymes, and employing a humorous and vivid Sichuan dialect. This imbues the novel with rich layers and depth, making it a delight to read and demonstrating a powerful ability to reshape modern Chinese and contemporary storytelling.
【Expert Recommendation】
Pingle County Chronicles showcases Yan Ge's extraordinary talent for realism and command of language, capturing the inherent drama and suspense of everyday life with exquisite precision. Yan Ge is so close to her characters that, as you read, you feel as if you are living alongside them on East Street in Pingle Town, without a single time difference. This is our life, and everyone faces an unpredictable fate. Reading Pingle County Chronicles made me feel the vastness and permanence of life.
Yu Huayan Ge, after years away from home, lives in Chengdu, England, and writes about the past of the small town of Pidu. Using a dual personality, alternating between English and Sichuan dialect, "Pingle County Chronicles" simultaneously captures the everyday while simultaneously capturing a grand narrative with remarkable ambition. Using the form of a chapter novel, a local chronicle, and a variety of classical and modern techniques, it maturely explores the depth and scale of small-town life. Its power to reshape dialect and reshape contemporary narratives is truly astonishing.
Zhai Yongming opens this modern "Gongguoge" (Book of Merits and Demerits), and the Sanyan Erpai-like format brings a postmodern text. More importantly, from its form to its plot and character development, "Pingle County Chronicles" imbues the small lives of our generation with the breadth and melancholy of epic poetry, brimming with both crisis and mystery. For the epochal changes our generation has experienced—the subtle sense of passing when looking back, and the disillusioned pride we feel when looking forward—no other book is more moving, more authentic, and more richly detailed. With withering trees and rotten wood, mud and sand swept away, a sense of impermanence coexisting with the doctrine of evolution, endless choices yet no other—this is our fate.
—Dan Baoyan Ge's writing opens our eyes to a new possibility. Dialect is a shell, a shell that carries thought. It provides a possibility for expression, but also creates a limitation of expression. However, Yan Ge easily breaks through this limitation.
——Alai

2023-10-01

上海三联书店

Ideal Country

480

9787542681942