Hua Yu

Spanning some forty years, from the Communist Civil War through the Cultural Revolution, this acclaimed Chinese novel follows the life of Fugui, the spoiled son of a wealthy landlord, as he squanders his family's fortune, takes up a career as a puppeteer, loses his wife and children to the ravages of famine, and is transformed into a simple peasant. Original. 17,500 first printing.

A Novel

To Live

beautiful writing i couldn’t put it down but good lord there’s so much misery and heartache 

marta

claire

Afsal Ansari 

A predictable yet profoundly moving tale.

charisa

don’t talk to me, i’ve been emotionally eviscerated

longer rtc when i can breathe evenly again

Trisa P

Jeremy Boyd

Vian 

ebrar

kiahna

Barbara

Hellboy TCR

ipek

Evan Huang

Christina Rae Lu

Daniel Cleveland

Denise La Greca

Zoë Schaefer

adria

Ezra Alie

KMed

Yu Hua

From the author of Brothers and China in Ten Words: this celebrated contemporary classic of Chinese literature was also adapted for film by Zhang Yimou. This searing novel, originally banned in China but later named one of that nation’s most influential books, portrays one man’s transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant. After squandering his family’s fortune in gambling dens and brothels, the young, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer. Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behind his family, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Left with an ox as the companion of his final years, Fugui stands as a model of gritty authenticity, buoyed by his appreciation for life in this narrative of humbling power.

Daniel Marino

To Live A Novel

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