Happy Journey

Douban

NeoDB

★Ban Yu’s latest work after “Winter Swimming”.

This collection of seven short and medium-length stories, each distinct and deeply exploratory, presents a broader literary landscape: a dry, cold wind, the earth and dust in the air, fleeting light, gushing springs, a raging underground fire, nonexistent texts, the drowned, the lost... Characters and stories intertwine, dreams and metaphors unfold endlessly, and everything becomes blurred, like a landscape shrouded in mist. Like a survivor of the Dark Ages, Ban Yu steals fire, explores original sin, and navigates through the chaos and unspeakable predicaments of life, igniting them all to create wondrous moments of oracle.

★All incarnations and reflections are your and my names.

A down-and-out novelist, a man raising ants, a sick girl, a lover chasing a comet, a father lost in time... These adventurers of fate and life dwell in thunder, wade into the clouds, and walk by candlelight at night, illuminating the mountains, sea, and wind. The novel of the same name, "Xiao Yao You," topped the short story rankings of the "Harvest" literature magazine and received a lengthy praise from writer Li Tuo: "He presents before us a deeply ambiguous, pristine life. 'Xiao Yao You' reminds me of Yasujiro Ozu."

★Give support to the weak and continue the dreams of the humble.

In the midst of this vast cold, how can we maintain our dignity? After life's knockdown, what can still ignite the faint flame within us? They are small, fragile, almost inaudible, yet also upright, resilient, and omnipresent. The marks of those arduous struggles during these great times, those unbreakable vows, those magical moments that leave us lost in a trance. "Xiao Yao You" captures the human yearning for freedom in this mundane world, the true nature of our lives slowly emerging after the glories have faded.

★ Create an "escape space" in the chaotic daily life and present the unspeakable reality in a magical way.

The North is not the past, but the future. These seven novels, like time crystals, reflect a rich tapestry of facets, imbued with avant-garde meaning and experimental spirit. They reach reality through fiction, maintaining a delicate balance between the two. Amid the roar of life, we escape on the train of his novels to another time and space, where there are distant evening stars, the lush green of failure, as well as bright tenderness and loneliness. We journey through mountains and forests, embrace the seasons, and pass by rivers. If we look up, we can see the stars following us.

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"Xiao Yao You," Ban Yu's second collection of novels following "Winter Swimming," features seven short and medium-length stories of distinct styles, spanning a thirty-year timeline, presenting a broader and richer picture. A down-and-out novelist, a man raising ants, a sick girl, a lover chasing a comet, a father lost in time... They are trapped in a thick fog, caught in the waning light, yet always trying to clumsily dance. These stories are imbued with the pain and scars of social change, depicting our true cowardice, longing, distress, and struggle between brilliance and darkness, hope and despair. A drowning person seeks to reach shore for air, a lost person awaits a clear night. The darkness of night is not always bottomless, for if we choose to look up, we can see the stars following us.

Ban Yu's masterful narrative penetrates the fabric of everyday life, creating tranquil moments of soaring amidst chaos, creating a refreshing narrative tone: a narrative that mirrors the harsh, cold, and poetic nature of northern China. All the mundane and painful becomes crystal clear, vast and profound in his writing. We too, hear the sobs hidden by history and daily life, and pause for a moment.

2020-05-01

春风文艺出版社

Ideal Country

293

9787531357759