The April 3rd Incident: Stories

(Paperback)

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From one of China's most famous contemporary writers, who celebrated novel To Live catapulted him to international fame, here is a stunning collection of stories, selected from the best of Yu Hua's early work, that shows his far-reaching influence on a pivotal period in Chinese literature. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yu Hua and other young Chinese writers began to reimagine their national literature. Departing from conventional realism in favor of a more surreal and subjective approach inspired by Kafka, Faulkner, and Borges, the boundary-pushing fiction of this period reflected the momentous cultural changes sweeping the world's most populous nation. The stories collected here show Yu Hua masterfully guiding us from one fractured reality to another. "A History of Two People" traces the paths of a man and a woman who dream in parallel throughout their lives. "In Memory of Miss Willow Yang" weaves a spellbinding web of signs and symbols. "As the North Wind Howled" carries a case of mistaken identity to absurd and hilarious conclusions. And the title story follows an unforgettable narrator determined to unearth a conspiracy against him that may not exist. By turns daring, darkly comic, thought-provoking, and profound, The April 3rd Incident is an extraordinary record of a singular moment in Chinese letters.

Reviews

One of contemporary Chinas most celebrated authors. The Boston Globe

A trailblazing Chinese writer. . . . A leading member of Chinas avant-garde literary movement. NPR

Chinas boldest and smartest literary agent provocateur. The world has never needed him more. South China Morning Post

Brilliant. . . . Daring. . . . A superb achievement. Words without Borders

Like some of the best literature, these stories ask more questions than they answer. . . . [Hua] has a special knack for making the mundane surreal.The New York Journal of Books

Renmin, or people, lie at the heart of this collection. . . . The new individuality exhibited by [Yus] often alienated characters reveals a struggle to adapt to a country transforming.Financial Times

Delightful and powerful . . . Soaked in inspiration from experimental writers like Kafka and Borges, the stories inThe April 3rd Incidentprovide a welcome insight into a countryand an authorin transition. . . . Yu Huas early work demonstrates the power of surrealism as a form of protest, as he pushes the boundaries of art and expression.The Cedar Rapids Gazette

Written at the beginning of the stellar career of China's globally acclaimed writer Yu, that is from 198791, these seven stories are finally making their English-language debut. . . . [This] collection shows that his literary prowess and mastery were present from the start.Booklist

Accomplished, genre-bending. . . . Yus devastating wit and morbid humor are on full display . . . Collected from work written by the author in the 1980s and 90s, the stories are formally experimental, indicative of a burgeoning period in Chinese literature and society. . . . Surreal, humorous, and unexpectedly poignant, Yus collection will satisfy fans and readers new to his writing alike.Publishers Weekly

A provocative collection for cosmopolitan readers with a penchant for international fiction.Library Journal

Author Bio

YU HUA is the author of five novels, six story collections, and four essay collections. He has also contributed op-ed pieces to The New York Times. His work has been translated into more than forty languages. He has received many awards, including the James Joyce Award, France's Prix Courrier International, and Italy's Premio Grinzane Cavour. Yu Hua lives in Beijing.