Research Catalog

The stubborn porridge and other stories

Title
The stubborn porridge and other stories / by Wang Meng ; introduction by Zhu Hong.
Author
Wang, Meng.
Publication
New York : George Braziller, 1994.

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TextRequest in advance PL2919.M39 A28 1994Off-site

Details

Additional Authors
Zhu, Hong.
Description
vi, 186 pages; 22 cm
Summary
  • Wang Meng became a cause celebre when he became the first Chinese citizen to sue the official journal of the Chinese Writer's Union for libelous attacks on his short story "The Stubborn Porridge," (also known as "Hard Porridge"), the first in this collection of ten. In this title story a traditional Chinese family's four generations come into conflict when trying to adapt to the modern world, questioning even such a seemingly simple matter as breakfast.
  • Adopting a Western-style breakfast in lieu of their time-honored menu of pickles and porridge is the first of many changes. The stories in this collection all employ fable-like plots as comprehensive allegories for complex social and political issues in contemporary China. Lightening his stories with parody, paradox, and word play, Wang Meng reveals the humanity, the understanding and the compassion, that lie at the heart of controversial issues.
  • Other stories in this volume include "The Wind on the Plateau," "Thrilling," and "A Winter's Topic."
Subject
Note
  • A collection of Chinese stories.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references.
Contents
Introduction / Zhu Hong -- The Stubborn Porridge -- The Wind on the Plateau -- A Winter's Topic -- The Heat Waves of Summer -- Fine Tuning -- Chamber Music, I and II -- To "Alice" -- Thrilling -- Capriccio a Xiang Ming (A Sequel to "Thrilling") -- The Blinking of the Bell.
ISBN
0807613533 :
LCCN
93047466
OCLC
ocm29563931
Owning Institutions
Columbia University Libraries