One mans bible by gao xingjian book club discussion. He is that rare multitalented artist who excels as novelist, playwright, essayist, director, and painter. Wjf jenner is unimpressed with one mans bible, the latest offering from chinas nobel laureate, gao xingjian. One man s bible by gao xingjian from chinas nobel laureate, the story of a writer who survived the cultural revolution and the price he paid to do so. The cultural revolution was a 10year long, horrific period in china s modern history. He will follow no rules and no laws other than those he writes down for himself in his one mans bible, the book written by and for. The first edition of the novel was published in april 1999, and was written by gao xingjian. One mans bible is a fictionalized account of gao xingjians life under the. To be left alone to do the things that one really wants, to. The history of literature confirms plutarch, who wrote, you will find few of the wisest and most intelligent men buried in their own countries. In his second novel to be translated into english, gao combines the form of the chinese travel journal with a novelistic technique that milan kundera a kindred.
Otherwise, alas, one mans bible is repetitive, discursive, and declamatory to a degree that leaches away far too much of the drama inherent in its content. In one mans bible, gao xingjian juxtaposes two time periods. One man s bible is a profound and liberating testament to the human spirit, whatever as gao might say with an ironic smile that may be. This first edition, signed by xingjian gao is available at bauman rare books. The main characters of this fiction, literature story are. One mans bible gao xingjian, author, xingjian gao, author, mabel lee, translator, trans.
One mans bible is the second novel by nobel prizewinning author gao xingjian to appear in english. One mans bible is a fictionalized account of gao xingjians life under the chinese communist regime. Free download or read online one mans bible pdf epub book. Dec 10, 2000 a violent surfacing of adolescence which has little in common with tarkington s earlier, broadly comic, seventeen has a compulsive impact. Although as an individual gao had readily denounced the chinese authorities for the events of 4 june in the french and italian media, he refused to compromise his integrity as a writer.
When he was a boy, gao xingjian s family took him to a buddhist temple to have his fortune told. When gao xingjian won the literature nobel in 2000, not many people had ever heard of him. In one mans bible, gao gives us a profound meditation on a life marked by personal and like another nobel prize winner, aleksandr solzhenitsyn, gao xingjian, chinas leading novelist and playwright, mixes autobiographical details with fictional techniques to create indelible portraits of daily life under a harsh, dehumanizing political regime. It is a place where a single sentence spoken ten years earlier can make one an enemy of the state.
One mans bible belongs to that sad class of books sold on the strength of their authors having won a prize. Nov 29, 2002 one mans bible by gao xingjian, translated by mabel lee 450pp, flamingo. Set during the cultural revolution, the novel stars an alterego of gao who reflects on his previous experiences. One mans bible is one mans journey in search of freedom, and ultimately, an ordinary life, as gao says repeatedly through the book. One mans bible book by professor gao xingjian 2 available.
In addition to soul mountain and one mans bible, a book of his plays, the other shore, and a volume of his paintings, return to painting. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Maybe the title is just misleading no fault of the translation. Gao wants to cut himself off from it completely a markedly unchinese attitude while margarethe, departing from the stereotype of the pragmatic, presentoriented westerner, insists that the past must be remembered, honored, understood. Theater at hong kong festival, a nobel laureate returns. One mans bible paperback september 30, 2002 by gao xingjian author, mabel lee translator 4. Gao xingjian born january 4, 1940 is a chinese emigre novelist, playwright, and critic who in 2000 was awarded the nobel prize for literature for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity. Following on the heels of his highly praised soul mountain also published by perfectbound, this later work is as candid as the first, and written with the same grace and beauty.
And while he admits that happiness may be unattainable, the pursuit of happiness is well, you know, inalienable. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. One man s bible is a fictionalized account of gao xingjian s life under the chinese communist regime. Sep 03, 2002 one man s bible is the second novel by nobel prizewinning author gao xingjian to appear in english. Unless gaos internationally acclaimed plays are a lot better than his fiction, its hard to understand why this writer was awarded a nobel prize. The framing narrative begins in hong kong in 1996, where gao xingjian, a chinese writer and artist now living in france, has come to oversee a. French citizen, gao xingjian has witnessed the erasure. One man s bible may be seen as a contest between two views of the past. In the recent past, there are the memories of the unnamed protagonist during mainland chinas disastrous cultural revolution. Pdf one mans bible book by gao xingjian free download. Following on the heels of his highly praised soul mountain, this later work is as candid as the first, and written with the same grace and beauty. Gao had been mainly a playwright, a poet, and a painter while still living in china. Nobody big except me is the dream world of holden caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab english of the precollegiate.
One mans bible by gao xingjian, translated by mabel lee in. It was one of the most obscure decisions taken by that mysterious committee in stockholm. His new and longawaited novel one mans bible relates in fictional form his own participation in the revolution and his ultimate rejection of its goals. Gao xingjian is an artistic innovator, in both the visual arts and literature. One man s bible is the second novel by nobel prizewinning author gao xingjian to appear in english. The protagonist of one mans bible is a middleaged writer from china who has been living in western exile already for years and who tries to exist only in the instant avoiding all thoughts of a past that sometimes still haunts him in nightmares. One mans bible is a profound and liberating testament to the human spirit, whatever as gao might say with an ironic smile that may be. Daily life is riddled with paranoia and fear, and government propaganda turns citizens against one another. Le livre dun homme seul is a novel by gao xingjian. In addition to soul mountain and one mans bible, a book of his plays, the other shore, and a volume of his paintings, return to painting, have been published in. But a prize is rather a thin argument for reading it, especially in a wooden english translation. Pdf one mans bible book by gao xingjian free download 464. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 464 pages and is available in paperback format. In a hong kong hotel room in 1996, gao xingjian s lover, marguerite, stirs up his memories of childhood and early adult life under the shadow of mao.
One man s bible is one man s journey in search of freedom, and ultimately, an ordinary life, as gao says repeatedly through the book. Sep 16, 2003 one man s bible is a fictionalized account of gao xingjian s life under the chinese communist regime. Sep 05, 2002 one mans bible by gao xingjian from chinas nobel laureate, the story of a writer who survived the cultural revolution and the price he paid to do so. One mans bible by gao xingjian, translated by mabel lee 450pp, flamingo. Lin zhaohua s production of gao xingjian s of mountains and seas is the first time in more than two decades that a mainland chinese cast. Set during the cultural revolution, the novel stars an alterego of gao who reflects on his previous experiences around the world. One man s bible has 2 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace.