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A review by sarapalooza
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
4.0
灵山 / Soul Mountain
高行健 / Gao Xingjian
.
“Things just happen behind me and there is always a mysterious eye, so it is best for me just to pretend that I understand even if I don’t. Pretending to understand, I still don’t understand. The fact of the matter is I comprehend nothing, I understand nothing. This is how it is.” - Gao
Gao is a writer comfortable with the undefinable, patient when encountering the absurd. I picked up this book at King Books in Detroit and have long been wanting to get to it. One thing I love about used books, are the secondhand bonuses. The flyleaf of this book is inscribed with a personalization – “a story of more than meer China for your 71st birthday with love.”
This book is filled with some gorgeous descriptions of the natural beauty of China. Gao’s story is fascinating. He was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and told he would only live a few more months, only to win a reprieve when a subsequent examination revealed him to be cancer free! He was facing the threat of being sent to a prison farm for some of his writings, so he packed a bag and traveled though the Sichuan area “off the grid” for five months, before moving to Paris.
Soul Mountain is filled with folktales, travelogues, and strange streams of consciousness. Gao also uses three different points of view to tell his story. The tale is epic and I appreciate being able to travel to China from my sofa!
#gaoxingjian #soulmountain #灵山
高行健 / Gao Xingjian
.
“Things just happen behind me and there is always a mysterious eye, so it is best for me just to pretend that I understand even if I don’t. Pretending to understand, I still don’t understand. The fact of the matter is I comprehend nothing, I understand nothing. This is how it is.” - Gao
Gao is a writer comfortable with the undefinable, patient when encountering the absurd. I picked up this book at King Books in Detroit and have long been wanting to get to it. One thing I love about used books, are the secondhand bonuses. The flyleaf of this book is inscribed with a personalization – “a story of more than meer China for your 71st birthday with love.”
This book is filled with some gorgeous descriptions of the natural beauty of China. Gao’s story is fascinating. He was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and told he would only live a few more months, only to win a reprieve when a subsequent examination revealed him to be cancer free! He was facing the threat of being sent to a prison farm for some of his writings, so he packed a bag and traveled though the Sichuan area “off the grid” for five months, before moving to Paris.
Soul Mountain is filled with folktales, travelogues, and strange streams of consciousness. Gao also uses three different points of view to tell his story. The tale is epic and I appreciate being able to travel to China from my sofa!
#gaoxingjian #soulmountain #灵山