Big Breasts, Wide Hips
Regular price
€16.99
An epic vision of China in the twentieth century by the author of Red Sorghum. On the eve of invasion by marauding Japanese troops, the Shangguan family eagerly prepare for two important arrivals: the birth of a foal to their donkey, and the birth of yet another girl to the young matriarch, in that order of priority. Surrounded by a remorseless mother and seven sisters, each named in anticipation of his birth, the resulting boy-child becomes our ineffectual narrator, leading us through a generation of life in a rural Chinese community populated by strong women and weak husbands, bandits and government bureaucrats, hen-murdering mid-wives and philandering missionaries, in this epic Chinese picaresque from the acclaimed author of Red Sorghum. Resplendent with the grotesque, bristling with grim humour, and visceral in its treatment of sex, violence and death, "Big Breasts & Wide Hips" is a searing vision of China in the twentieth century.
Mo Yan was born in 1956 in China. The author of several novels including Red Sorghum (which was made into a highly successful feature film), dozens of novellas, and numerous short stories, he has won, among other national literary prizes, China's Annual Writer's Award, its most prestigious literary prize. He lives in Shandong, China.