#01
Too Much to Think About
By Saul Bellow
Li Junyi Somalia translation
Compiled by Benjamin Taylor, the editor of Bellow's Collected Letters, the book contains bellow's most famous essays, as well as fifty-seven essays on his travelogues, book reviews, film reviews, interviews, speeches, and memoirs, spanning more than half a century. We can read about the creative trajectory of a writer who witnessed the second half of the twentieth century who documented the spiritual crisis experienced by Americans after the war. How to break through from modern society to success, Bellow gave his own answer with his keen observation and thinking.
Philip Ross
(Writer)
It is not surprising that outstanding novelists are also outstanding journalists. It took me three nights to read the book in one sitting, like I was reading a masterpiece by Bellow that had just been discovered.
#02
Carrie the Witch
By Stephen King
Translated by Zhang Jianqin and Li Ningning
Under the double oppression of family and school bullying, Carrie was hurt from the body to the heart. When the fire of hatred at the deepest level of her heart is ignited, there is no second way for Carrie to complete her revenge by violently countering violence in an extremely cruel way.
Stephen King's portrayal of the deepest fears of human nature to the extreme, the sad situation of people after the sudden outbreak of hatred to find an outlet, is the deepest part of the novel, and the place that most impresses the reader. This is precisely what makes Stephen King unique.
Publishers Weekly
Eerie and utterly unforgettable.
#03
The Course of Beauty
Li Zehou
Li Zehou has carried the crown of his life, and the aesthetic tour that the Chinese people must go through. The large pen is like a rafter, and the macroscopic bird's eye can see the cultural and artistic changes of the five thousand years of China; the wisdom is like a torch, and the outline and tie lead the Chinese people to re-walk the chinese aesthetic process.
"The Course of Beauty" provides a bird's-eye view of Thousands of years of Chinese art and literature from a macroscopic perspective, and makes a description and generalization and an overall aesthetic grasp. It puts forward such important concepts as the "Dragon Flying Phoenix Dance" of primitive ancient art and the "fierce beauty" of Yin Zhou bronze art, the "Complementarity of Confucianism and Taoism" of the rational spirit of the pre-Qin Dynasty, the "romanticism" of Chu Ci, Han Fu, and Han portrait stones, the Wei and Jin demeanor of "human awakening", the sculpture of Buddha statues of the Six Dynasties, Tang Dynasty, and Song, the landscape paintings of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the aesthetics of poetry, words, and songs, and the changes in novels and operas from romance and sentimentality to reality in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which have not been developed before.
Feng Youlan
"The Course of Beauty" is a big book (it should be said that it is several big books), a history of Chinese aesthetics and art, a history of Chinese literature, a history of Chinese philosophy, and a history of Chinese culture.
#04
Paris Review Interview with Women Writers
Editor, Editorial Board of the Paris Review
Translated by Xiao Haisheng et al
Interviews with Women Writers is a special edition of the Editorial Board of the Paris Review since 2017 and has been published twice to date. The Paris Review Interviews with Women Writers has been revised to include interviews with sixteen women writers.
The sixteen interviews in this book can also be seen as "essays in dialogue", which are both a very high-level discussion of writing techniques and cover the subtle but reflective details of a woman writer's life: When did she establish her ambition to write? What was her literary enlightenment? What are the specific obstacles she encounters at different stages of writing? How does she deal with external denial and self-doubt? Who is her peer or incompatible opponent? How is her relationship with feminist thought? ......
Time magazine
It can be said that thirty years from now, or even three hundred years from now, these conversations will be invaluable to young students who study twentieth-century literature.
#05
"Forever Separated by a River"
By Deng Anqing
"Forever Separated by a River" is a collection of short stories created by young writer Deng Anqing. The work continues deng Anqing's best hometown literary writing, still revolves around the author's familiar Hubei hometown of Deng An, depicting real and simple characters and touching and intimate stories, and the author's previous works "Soft Distance", "Paper Kingdom" and "Candy in the Mountains" constitute a "Collection of Deng An's Stories".
Although this work is a collection of short stories in style, the characters and events of each article are closely linked, integrated with each other, the fresh and gentle atmosphere is consistent, and the whole book can be read as a long work, with smooth writing, distinct characters, and a series of themes such as urban and rural differences, intergenerational relations, left-behind children, and preference for sons and daughters, which can be called Deng Anqing's most mature work at present.
Real and vivid group portraits, intimate and natural dialects, idyllic and beautiful countryside for four seasons, laughter and tears intertwined with growth and life, wandering in the river center that separates us from our parents, the city and the countryside, the present and the past.
#06
"Zen Temple by the Rock"
July
"Zen Temple by the Rock" is a novel by the science fiction writer July, which has attracted much attention in recent years. Different from the common science fiction setting of the "Sea of Stars" in the past, this time the story is set in a "meditation" temple, the story begins with a bizarre cliff fall case, giving people the illusion of a suspense novel, with the reporter Du Yu and Fang Qi's investigation of the temple, the secrets of this Zen temple are not revealed, but more and more suspicious points, the appearance of the quaint temple is actually hidden in the mysterious, is to brain neuroscience to help people "practice" the strange place, accompanied by a sudden wind, The protagonist's investigation also begins to lead to a horrific and out-of-control brainstorm.
Dejavu, neuroscience, split personality, mind control and other sci-fi elements have taken turns to appear, and the suspense has increased layer by layer, and the multiple reversals are amazing. The work places the deduction of science fiction in the confined space of the "Blizzard Villa", and even in a person's brain, with strong suspense and entertainment, ingenious ideas, tight rhythm, and a very deep theme, which is a "Chinese science fiction" masterpiece that can meet all expectations.
Hao Jingfang
(Science Fiction Writer)
July's attempt to construct a story with small spaces and large fables is fast-paced, imaginative, and impressively reversed.
#07
Kenzaburo Oe's life growth essay series
By Kenzaburo Oe
Translated by Zhu Jiarong
Nobel Prize winner and famous Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe began to record his bumpy life in his later years, in order to tell people about his past life experience and wisdom, especially the "new people" he identified, that is, the young people who symbolized hope and the future, he successively wrote four essay works, "Under His Own Tree", "The Recovered Family", "Loose Bond", and "To the Newcomer". He has been looking forward to "one day compiling these four books into a series of books that will be read by Chinese children and young parents." These four books all start from his relationship with his family and children, and explore the delicate and subtle side of family affection. At the same time, he also deeply reflected on a series of major issues such as nuclear war and family education, reflecting his broad human concern.
Xu Jinlong
(Translated by Yukio Mishima)
There is a proverb in Japan since ancient times that says that there are three terrible things in the world: earthquakes, thunder, and fathers! The flourishing of patriarchal ideas in Japan can be seen here. But in Mr. Oe's home, this loose bond replaces the patriarchal power that is as terrible as earthquakes and thunder, and it is the father who warmly connects the family members with the greatest love and respect given by the father.
#08
"Psychic Detective Ichizo Jade"
[Japanese] Aizawa Shahu shouted
Translated by Luo Yaxing
Marvel at the Japanese reasoning circle! Japanese illustrator Shiho Toda carefully draws the cover!
With the help of a psychic woman, Josuka Jade, mystery novel writer Shiro Kazuki assists the police in cracking one murder after another. Johsuka Jade learns the murderer by means of spiritual vision, and Kazuki Shiro uses this backwards to construct reasoning. As their cooperation becomes closer and closer, death is slowly approaching the city jade...
Lu Qiucha
(Mystery Writer)
Sagazawa Shahu is a brilliant magician, with a foreshadowing throughout the text, supporting the meticulous logic and unexpected truth, and exerting the pleasure of reasoning that belongs to the original to the extreme.
Bell salute
"Psychic Detective" is a resolute step in Sakazawa's reasoning. The shock of reading the final chapter is shattered, with a straightforward but delicate kernel that brings an impact that has never been seen before.
#09
Year of Miracles
East
"Year of Miracles" is the latest collection of works by powerful young writer Donglai. In this collection of novels, the writer Donglai presents five surprising and diametrically different literary styles, once again proving her vision and strength to write beyond her peers. "Generation Of Spring Day" is elegant and fluent, quite old and interesting; "Year of Miracles" is magically realistic, strongly shaking the boundary between reality and non-reality; "Amber" explores the ethics of life and death, and the horror is cool; "Hun Liu" is superb in technique and restores the formation of the tragic whirlpool; the novella "Lamphun" connects history, memory, and reality in a three-fold time and space, making people wonder what year it is. The year of the Miracle features two nights of dialogue between two men in a desert hotel, sinking the magical craze of special functions of the 1980s and 1990s, shaking the boundaries between the real and the unreal with an interesting plot and deep thinking. The language texture, creative attitude and vision presented by the author have been at the forefront of authors of the same age.
PAGEONE
Literary Awards Speech
"Legendary stories, scattered old stories, masterless dreams, sudden alienation and dramatization, the "Year of miracles" from the east is written in a kind of borderless writing, through the dense forest of content and themes."
#10
Sunset Flights: South Africa Photo Book
By Tao Lixia
Author, translator and photographer Tao Lixia's first collection of travel photographs.
More than 100 photographs and eye-catching texts present the wilderness and people of South Africa. Simplicity is also fun, and calmness can also be curative.
When you are tired, set sail with peace of mind.
--------------------------
It's a paper trip with you.
In the scenery of South Africa, there is the vitality and coldness of nature, and there is also the attachment and tenderness of the viewer.
"In the evening, the world is shrouded in a powdery milky yellow. The sunset landed behind gray-purple clouds. You feel the heart become like butter, in the subtle moment when a solid flows into a liquid. Later, we must learn to cherish these imperfect moments. --Tao Lixia
#11
The Best Decision
Megan Dom, eds
So translated
This book is a reflection by sixteen writers on fertility, family, and the meaning of life. The common denominator of the thirteen female and three male writers in the book is that they either actively or passively choose not to have children, but each person arrives at this decision for a different reason, but they all explore with admirable honesty the themes of "loneliness", "self-realization", "fertility instinct", and "childhood trauma" that are closely related to the fertility proposition.
Sixteen writers represent voices that, though in the minority, deserve respect and understanding. The collection also responds to the impact of the upheavals in social organization over the past two decades on families and emotional structures. How do we build intimate relationships about the possibility that life will eventually be lonely, how do we stay true to our decisions, and bear the consequences of that decision in our daily lives? This book can be considered a landmark reference sample in the field of family studies and emotional studies.
The New York Times
The collection by Megan Dom doesn't change the overall attitude of the masses, but at least it does make their own complex voices heard by those who enjoy childless life.
#12
The Life of An Adult's Lie
[Italy] by Elena Ferrante
Translated by Chen Ying and Zhang Yanyan
The Life of Lies for Adults (2019) is the latest work by Italian writer Elena Ferrante after the Neapolitan Tetralogy, focusing on the youth and growth of Giovanna, a girl from a middle-class Neapolitan family.
Two years before her father left home, twelve-year-old Giovanna overheard her father tell his mother that he was ugly, more and more like his sister Victoria, whom he had always hated, and this sentence drove Jovana to the lower town of Naples for the first time, facing the despicable past left behind by her father.
Jovana witnesses the absurd and tragic love of her aunt Victoria and Enzo, and also forms a strange friendship with Enzo's orphans Tonino, Kurado and Juliana. The coarse and reckless inferior community gradually became the tool of Jovana's rebellious middle-class hypocritical life in the upper town. She observes and imitates the lies of the adult world with a masochistic passion: the false marriage of her parents, the rotten emotional story of Victoria, the truth of the bracelet that her father and aunt fought for...
National magazine
In an age when classes are seen as the greatest common denominator and can unite and isolate individuals to the greatest extent possible, Life of Lies for Adults is a powerful reminder of the complexity of classes and the variety of choices that human beings have when they try to own what they lack and fill in that void.
#13
"In Watermelon Candy"
By Richard Brautigen
Translated by Wang Weiqing
Written in 1964 and first published in 1968, In Watermelon Candy is the third novel of Richard Brautigan's writing career. The novel is full of imagery, imagination, and multiple interpretive spaces, which can be called a model text of postmodernist literature, and has been regarded by many critics as another masterpiece of novels after Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America". This book is also a Chinese translation of the classics by the Donald Baselm translator and poet Wang Weiqing (pen name Shaoqing), which is revised and republished in the latest revision in the past twenty years, filling in the missing chapters of the old version. Pioneer writer Zhu Yue is recommended for reading.
Haruki Murakami
Brautigan's depiction of a quiet, gentle and humorous personal world cannot be imitated by ordinary writers.
#14
"Poor Woman in Tokyo"
Date: Written by Atsuhiko Nakamura
Translated by Fu Xu
This book was shortlisted for the 2019 Japan Bookstore Awards, sold well in Japan, and was recommended by Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. Originally published in Japan's Toyo Keizai Shimbun, the book is a column titled "Women Moaning in Poverty" that lasted about three years, collecting stories told by dozens of women themselves, and finally assembling them into a book. By the time the Japanese version of the book was published in 2019, the column had 120 million views.
The author of this book is a journalist who has been interviewing women's poverty for more than 20 years, so this book objectively records the real situation of the interviewees, in which there are flower girls who were forced to enter the custom industry before the entrance ceremony, there are masters at the University of Tokyo who cannot afford medical expenses, and there are single mothers who have graduated from famous schools but have to drop their children out of school because of poverty... Many of them are highly educated, well-off, and seem to have nothing to do with poverty, and their lives seem to be smooth, but behind them is the abyss of poverty that cannot be retreated. The book vividly describes the current situation of Japanese women falling into poverty, mentions the social structural causes of women's poverty, and it is not easy to solve the problem of female poverty, but seeing the existence of female poverty itself is of great significance, because seeing is the first step to solve the problem.
In their experiences, they see struggles and compromises, as well as persistence and struggle. This book uses vivid life experiences to draw a huge picture of women.