Stranger at the Pier

Strangers on a Pier

Why is it so complicated to understand one's identity as an Asian?
A meditation on separation by Ou Daxu, a leading Chinese writer in the international literary world

Maybe it has nothing to do with appearance.
It's because we want everyone to be like you and me.
We want strangers to be our own.
Someone we can understand.

Ou Daxu is an Asian who has emerged as a rising star in the European and American literary world. He is the third generation of Chinese immigrants from the multi-ethnic background of Malaysia. He spoke multiple dialects as a child and now writes in English.
"Where are you from?" he was often asked, but he could never come up with a suitable answer.
He ponders his own identity, trying to penetrate family memories and intergenerational memories, oscillating between Eastern and Western cultures, and his profound observations reveal his true feelings.

For our family, and families like ours,
Separation is a way of expressing love.

He writes about the alienation of individuals from their families and how the gaps between generations grow ever wider.
He writes about how education forms class and how class affects education, and also talks about how the Chinese, who are often seen as homogeneous by Westerners, have complex ethnic and linguistic differences.
He depicts the sorrow of separation and the moving brilliance of ordinary people despite their limited circumstances. He reveals the unspeakable pain in life and how such pain explains the human condition.
People of different generations, genders, cultures, and immigrants—their voices echo throughout this book. Ou Daxu paints a brocade of modern cultural identity. His story transcends his own, fostering a gentle understanding in a world of diversity.

※Specially includes Ou Daxu's newly written "Preface" dedicated to the Chinese version readers and scholar Xiong Tinghui's special article "That Face, Stranger and Survivor"

International experts praise and recommend

"Every word is full of wisdom" - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigerian writer living in the United States)

"A voice that we all must listen to in the modern global village"—Yiyun Li (American English writer)

“If we’re lucky, we can find writing that’s vivid, beautiful, and profoundly moving—and that’s what The Stranger on the Quay is.” —Deborah Levy (British author)

2023-03-07

時報出版

136

9786263534025