Radish

Name: Radish
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9780734310798
Price: 19.0 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

By Mo Yan

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( 576 ratings, 103 reviews)

Summary

In Radish by Mo Yan, the story unfolds in a rural Chinese village, where a young boy's fascination with a large radish symbolises the tensions and aspirations of farming life. The narrative delves into the complexities of village dynamics, with elements of folklore and the human spirit interwoven throughout. Mo Yan's vivid portrayal of rural China offers readers a glimpse into the everyday struggles and dreams of its inhabitants.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling that captures the complexities of rural life in China. The author offers a unique perspective on human resilience and the nuances of social dynamics, providing a thought-provoking narrative that blends realism with a touch of magical surrealism.

Radish

During China's collectivist era in the late 1950s, a rural work team responsible for building an floodgate receives a strange new recruit: Hei-hai, a skinny, silent and a feral boy. Assigned to assist the blacksmith at the worksite forge, Hei-hai proves superhumanly indifferent to pain or suffering and yet, eerily sensitive to the natural world.

During China's collectivist era in the late 1950s, a rural work team responsible for building an important floodgate receives a strange new recruit- Hei-hai, a skinny, silent and almost feral boy.

Description

During China's collectivist era in the late 1950s, a rural work team set to repair a river floodgate receives a new labour recruit—Hei-hai, a skinny, sorry, silent boy. Assigned to pump the bellows at the worksite forge, Hei-hai proves indifferent to pain or suffering, but eerily sensitive to the beauties of the natural world.

As the worksite becomes embroiled in human jealousy and strife, Hei-hai's eyes remain trained on a world that only he can see, searching for wonders that only he understands. One day, he finds all that he has been seeking embodied in the most mundane and fragile of objects—a radish.

‘That dark-skinned boy with the superhuman ability to suffer and a superhuman degree of sensitivity represents the soul of my entire fictional output. Not one of all the fictional characters I've created since then is as close to my soul as he is.’ — Mo Yan, 2012 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

‘Pungent, potent, absurd, moving, and alive, this early Mo Yan novella carries his unmistakable stamp. Survival is ignoble, and power blunt, but glimpses of the transcendent are possible—Radish captures the human condition with aching force.’ — Gish Jen, author of Mona in the Promised Land

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Radish by Mo Yan is lauded for its poignant and vivid storytelling, combining elements of absurdity with profound emotion. The novella reflects on themes of survival and power while offering moments of transcendence, effectively capturing the complexities of the human condition.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780734310798

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 May 2015

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 7.0mm

Width: 113.0mm

Height: 179.0mm

Weight: 67g

Pages: 96

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Mo Yan Penguin Books

About the Author

Mo Yan (literally "don't speak") is the pen name of author Guan Moye. Born in 1955 to a peasant family in Shandong province, he is the author of 10 novels including Frog and Red Sorghum, dozens of novellas and hundreds of short stories. He is the winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature and the 2009 Newman Prize for Chinese literature.