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X-Ray Column: A checkered flag

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2010-04-30 09:20

Literary gifts

Triple Gates (2000)

Han Han's debut novel, published at the tender age of 17, is filled with autobiographical details of high-school tomfoolery and the cut-throat nature of China's get-ahead mentality - that, and loads of similes and metaphors that jab at figures of authority.

One Degree Below Freezing (2001)

A collection of early essays that deal mostly with the education system.

Like a Speeding Youth (2002)

This follow-up novel traces the footsteps of two ghost writers as they roam aimlessly from gig to gig in Beijing and Shanghai.

Poison (2002)

A collection of excerpts from published works.

Press Release 2003 (2003)

A collection of unpublished essays.

Five Years of Han Han (2004)

Triple Gates, Press Release 2003, Like a Speeding Youth and One Degree Below Freezing are republished in two volumes.

Riot in Chang'an City (2004)

This martial-arts novel depicts the adventures of a Shaolin monk as he leaves the temple for the capital city and beyond.

And I Drift (2005)

This collection of essays describes the author's fascination with auto racing.

An Ideal City (2006)

Two college students go on the run after a gang fight and hide in a non-descript county town. Evocative atmosphere and great set pieces that recall the best in modern Chinese literature.

Cold (2006)

This package includes Han Han's album R-18, for which he wrote lyrics for most of the tracks and provided the lead vocal. He also directed the music videos. It is just an offshoot of his writing and somewhat of a vanity project.

Glorious Days (2007)

Seven college graduates go to a school in the mountains to serve as volunteers. The result is more Dumb and Dumber than Dead Poets Society.

Miscellaneous Essays (2008)

A collection of his online musings and ax-wielding.

Poison 2 (2008)

Another collection of excerpts from published works.

A Day-Dream (a.k.a. His Country) (2009)

A park keeper in a small town rides his motorcycle and runs into bizarre situations, some more supernatural than others.

Grass (2009)

A collection of excerpts of published books. The title alludes to his early books of highlights, Grass and Grass 2. "Poisonous grass" is a label for literary works whose writers were persecuted for political reasons. Han Han twists it around and uses it as a mark of quality and integrity.

Lovely Monsters (2009)

A collection of his blog posts from 2008, touching on some of the thorniest issues of the year when he was the "monster" while everyone else played cheerleaders.

Han Han has so far resisted offers to have his books translated into English. The best of his sentences use figures of speech that are difficult to convey in another language. And he also fears international recognition may bring more trouble.