Fighting off the wolves
Updated: 2007-11-26 08:12
Liu Zhenyun is one of the most misunderstood novelists in China. Each time his latest novel is released, he is buried with boos and catcalls. "But later, I'm bombarded with cheers, even from the same bunch of folks," he says.
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"Perhaps my attempt to try new tricks fails to impress my readers and critics. Or, it is just that they are getting used to my style and unwilling to watch me taking risks and making a fool of myself," explains Liu during a book launch for his latest novel I Am Liu Yuejin (Wo Jiao Liu Yuejin).
Nonetheless, the 49-year-old writer, who often crosses over to movie script writing and even acting, never yields to criticisms.
"I always move on amidst heaps of criticism over my 25-year writing career. But when a new novel is completed, I have to turn to a new direction since I am no longer in the same mood. I must turn a deaf ear to my critics when I trek on a new path," he says.
Hailed by critics as a "Neo-realist writer", Liu refuses to be pigeonholed and claims I Am Liu Yuejin, his fourth full-length work of the genre, marks "a new turn".
Liu's new novel hit the bookshelf early this month, with at least 200,000 first-edition copies printed, according to Jin Lihong, the publisher of the book with the Changjiang Literature and Arts Publishing Group. Jin anticipates a good harvest from this "insightful yet dark-humored novel".
Liu says his story is a subversive parable about a sheep that eats wolves.
It is how the weak and downtrodden unexpectedly get an upper hand. "Only in my novels I can make the impossible possible. "
The plot involves a countryside chef searching for his lost bag and dealing with different bands of deadly killers.
"Sheep and wolves are metaphors I make use of to express a new angle we look at today's world," he says.
Liu believes the world is full of uncertainties and endless accidents and coincidences. "The world is out of the control of human kind. In addition, that is where drama comes from and I want to explore in my novels."
His protagonist Liu Yuejin "exposes the absurd, irrational logic of some people in today's world".
Liu's characters are true to life, critics say. "No matter if they are a he or she, a nobody, a superrich, or a high ranking official, each has his or her weaknesses, worries, fears, hopes and whimsical dreams," says Yang Xuemei, an editor with a publishing house in Beijing.
Chef Liu is a mild-natured migrant worker who is tortured by his broken marriage. The chef tries every means to safeguard his own interests. He is smart but powerless.
In his search for his lost bag of money, Liu Yuejin breaks promises, playing a deadly game with dangerous enemies, including a real estate tycoon, corrupted officials, the mafia, vendors, prostitutes, private eyes, and subcontractors.
"Life looks smooth and perfect. However, when looking underneath, one may find holes, cracks and misfit joints. I intend to do a justice to the incongruity of life in my stories," explains Liu who prefers to call all his novels "comedies" instead of "tragedies or tragic-comedies".
"For centuries, playwrights, writers, and scriptwriters are fond of writing about tragedies. But in my eyes, all tragedies are comedies," says Liu.
Readers may find Liu's short stories and novels characterized by a restrained, matter-of-fact narration that also conveys strong satire and humor. His compassion for ordinary people at grass-root level of society, his disgust with abused power, and the out-fashioned mentalities shines throughout.
The new novel has drawn mixed reviews from the readers. Some view the work "a long-winded story, sandwiched with self-satisfied social commentary, and psychoanalysis of the protagonists", while others praised the novel for its "relentless revelation of the bare truth of contemporary life, convincing depiction of the characters, and breathtaking, humorous narration". The Beijing-style language is colliqual and character names are borrowed from pop idols and classicals. Li Yuchun (Super Girls), pop legend Madonna and Green-faced beast Yang Zhi (Outlaw of the Marshes).
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