Stephanie Jane recenzis White Snake and Other Stories de Ko-ling Yen
Unusual and enjoyable stories
4 steloj
The stories in this collection are White Snake, Celestial Bath, The Death Of The Lieutenant, Red Apples, Nothing More Than Male And Female, and Siao Yu. Each one is followed by a short glossary which explains things like the symbolism of the characters' names and cultural references. Geling Yan's writing style is different to other books I have read recently so it took most of the first story, White Snake, for me to become accustomed to the pace and turns of phrase. White Snake turned out to be my least favourite of the six tales and I am not sure whether this was due to it being that initial story or if its switching between narration and reports made it less accessible for me.
I found I could most strongly appreciate the stories where the leading characters illustrate culture clashes. Red Apples, set in Tibet, is a beautifully understated story …
The stories in this collection are White Snake, Celestial Bath, The Death Of The Lieutenant, Red Apples, Nothing More Than Male And Female, and Siao Yu. Each one is followed by a short glossary which explains things like the symbolism of the characters' names and cultural references. Geling Yan's writing style is different to other books I have read recently so it took most of the first story, White Snake, for me to become accustomed to the pace and turns of phrase. White Snake turned out to be my least favourite of the six tales and I am not sure whether this was due to it being that initial story or if its switching between narration and reports made it less accessible for me.
I found I could most strongly appreciate the stories where the leading characters illustrate culture clashes. Red Apples, set in Tibet, is a beautifully understated story where what could be an intense love affair between a dishonoured Chinese soldier and a blind Tibetan woman is viewed through the eyes of a young visiting dancer. Siao Yu, set in Australia, tells of a young woman who is persuaded into a marriage of convenience with an elderly Australian man in order to make immigration easier for herself and her Chinese boyfriend. When that boyfriend is then unable to manage his jealousy and the Australian man's girlfriend also objects, Siao Yu finds herself stuck in a delicate situation. My favourite is probably The Death Of The Lieutenant in which the Lieutenant of the title explains how he came to fall from being a hero to being imprisoned for murder.
Yan has a deceptively open and pragmatic style which I think comes across well in Lawrence Walker's translation. Her characters face difficult dilemmas and, for various reasons, are isolated, far from their homes and families. There is deep emotion in each story, but repressed and shown in a restrained way. I learned that public displays of feeling is not The Done Thing in China and that is another of Yan's themes. I discovered this collection purely by chance, but am glad to have done so as I appreciated the opportunity to enjoy these unusual and enjoyable stories.