To Live

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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: 08/26/2003
ISBN: 9781400031863
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.60d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2003 pg. 937
Library Journal 08/01/2003 pg. 137
Booklist 09/01/2003 pg. 64
Kliatt 01/01/2004 pg. 17
New York Review of Books 10/11/2012 pg. 47