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Heart Sutra

By Yan Lianke
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Heart Sutra by Yan Lianke is a thought-provoking exploration of faith, belief, and human nature. The narrative follows religious novices from various faiths who gather at a seminary where they learn, connect, and confront their beliefs. Through their interactions, the story delves into the complexities of religious conviction and the shared human experiences that transcend different faiths.
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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?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy satirical and philosophical narratives set against the backdrop of modern China. It offers a unique blend of humour and depth, exploring themes of belief, spirituality, and modernity through vividly imaginative storytelling. If you are interested in thought-provoking tales that challenge societal norms and expectations, this work is worth considering.

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Heart Sutra

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Heart Sutra is the most mysterious scripture in Chinese Buddhism. In Yan Lianke’s new novel, disciples of China’s five main religions—Buddhism, Daoism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Islam—gather for a year at the Religious Training Centre of Beijing’s National Politics University. They live together, study together, exercise together in the blazing sun, and get caught up in financial and sexual shenanigans.

Heart Sutra explores the complex relations between humans and gods, between the secular and the divine, and between genders. The youngest Daoist monk and the youngest Buddhist nun fall in love. But as their faith is tested, will they stay committed to the path of a holy life? The choices they make are confronting, because nothing less than the fate of the gods is at stake.

Illustrated with beautiful woodcuts, animated by an incisive sense of humour, and inhabited by an unforgettable cast of mortals and deities, Heart Sutra is a stunning addition to Yan Lianke’s oeuvre, which highlights the best and worst in humankind.

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?

Yan Lianke's Heart Sutra is praised for its blend of satire and serious commentary, with reviews highlighting the novel's exploration of faith, love, and political dynamics. The book is described as both picaresque and complex, with a narrative that navigates through absurdity, darkness, and a glimmer of hope. It targets organised religion with incisive satire while maintaining a respectful distance from mocking personal faith, and its lush and surreal storytelling is frequently compared to works by Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922790132

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 March 2023

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Contributors:

  • Translated by Carlos Rojas

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 416

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Yan Lianke

About the Author

Yan Lianke is the author of the memoir Three Brothers and numerous novels and novellas, including Hard Like Water, The Day the Sun Died, The Explosion Chronicles, The Four Books, Lenin’s Kisses, Serve the People!, Dream of Ding Village, and The Years, Months, Days. He was awarded the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature and the Franz Kafka Prize, among many accolades. He was twice a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize, and he has been shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the Man Asian Literary Prize, and the Prix Femina Étranger. He has also received two of China’s most prestigious literary honors, the Lu Xun Prize and the Lao She Award.

Carlos Rojas has translated seven books by Yan Lianke.

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