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K: The Art of Love
Set in 1930s China, this is a true but tragic tale of romance, sexual desire, and untimely death. Beautiful, intelligent, and schooled in the Daoist arts of love, Lin is married to a provincial university professor. Julian Bell, son of Vanessa Bell, and darling of the Bloomsbury set, has arrived in China, hungry for experience. Their mutual attraction leads to a passionate phy-sical and spiritual sojourn in Beijing. Unable to realize their love in a society divided by cultural conflict and the threat of war, they eventually part: Julian to fight for the Loyalists in Spain and Lin to contemplate suicide in her husband’s house.
262 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1999
About the author
Hong Ying
102 books56 followersHong Ying was born in Chongqing in 1962, towards the end of the Great Leap Forward. She began to write at eighteen, leaving home shortly afterwards to spend the next ten years moving around China, exploring her voice as a writer via poems and short stories. After brief periods of study at the Lu Xun Academy in Beijing and Shanghai’s Fudan University, Hong Ying moved to London in 1991 where she as writer. She returned to Beijing in 2000.
Best known in English for the novels K: the Art of Love, Summer of Betrayal, Peacock Cries, and her autobiography Daughter of the River, Hong Ying has been published in twenty- nineteen languages and has appeared on the bestseller lists of numerous countries, she won the Prize of Rome for K: the Art of Love in 2005 and many of her books have been or are now in the process of being turned into television series and films.
Hong Ying has long been interested in the stories of homosexuals living in China, a theme explored here and in her short story collection, A Lipstick Called Red Pepper: Fiction About Gay and Lesbian Love in China 1993-1998. In her work, she likes to focus on human stories, hardship and history. Her responsibility as a writer, she believes, is in part to explore the lives of marginalised groups struggling for visibility – and for compassion – in contemporary China.
Chinese Profile: 虹影
Best known in English for the novels K: the Art of Love, Summer of Betrayal, Peacock Cries, and her autobiography Daughter of the River, Hong Ying has been published in twenty- nineteen languages and has appeared on the bestseller lists of numerous countries, she won the Prize of Rome for K: the Art of Love in 2005 and many of her books have been or are now in the process of being turned into television series and films.
Hong Ying has long been interested in the stories of homosexuals living in China, a theme explored here and in her short story collection, A Lipstick Called Red Pepper: Fiction About Gay and Lesbian Love in China 1993-1998. In her work, she likes to focus on human stories, hardship and history. Her responsibility as a writer, she believes, is in part to explore the lives of marginalised groups struggling for visibility – and for compassion – in contemporary China.
Chinese Profile: 虹影
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 17, 2016
This is a historical novel you guys. And also an erotic novel, yes, hence the cover, which is supposed to lure readers (believe it or not, I only noticed cherry blossoms at first. I guess female butts don't impress me, because I happen to have one). Yes, you guess right, it's more erotic than historical. But it didn't work for me in both cases.
The book is about the real historical event, a short yet dramatic affair between Julian Bell and Lin Cheng. Or Chang? I was reading it in translation, so I'm not sure. And blurbs for this book are fantastically unhelpful, as they write a lot about who was Julian freaking Bell, and the female protagonist is only mentioned as "Lin". It's simply insulting. Julian was sort of a famous person anyway, if not by himself, then by his relation to Virginia Woolf (I'm afraid in my cultural circle name Julian Bell wouldn't ring any bells, haha) and Lin definitely deserved more attention and some respect, as a poet, writer and as a personality. No wonder this happened though, as the author herself didn't do a great job at uncovering who real Lin was. Here is what happened.
It's funny how well hateable she made Julian (serves him right, actually). Not sure if it was her goal. His family and relatives look pretentious and weird only, and that's also not a good thing, considering who they were (no, I don't have a cult feelings for Wolf_Bell family). Lin is too bland, too one sided, too stereotypical, and I expected author to break stereotypes here. She's sort of trying, but she sets a trap for herself and falls into it, because she writes from Julian's POV (!), while I'm not sure if she could actually relate to snobby snotty offspring of famous bohemian family with revolutionary aspirations from the very specific place and time that was Great Britain in the beginning of 20th century. I think she could - she should - relate to Lin rather, to her sensitivity, to her Chinese cultural background and upbringing. I'm talking about the woman, who was raised in Chinese tradition, was aware of her roots and in peace with them, and who was also trying to live her life as western liberated woman, and while her attempts failed, one can't say she didn't try. If it was Lin's POV, with more detail of her life, instead of Julian's dick's details, this could be a great novel. I'm not sure if Hong Ying was too weak as a writer, or the material simply was too huge for her. Or she just didn't give a damn about anything else than sexy + steamy and fast money from her editor. I don't know. Lin's lyrics in the end of book uncovered her personality better than the author did, and they simply killed the book for me. And I don't even like poetry in general.
The whole novel seems like loose notes on what could become a really interesting story, as I said before, and it feels like the author was in hurry all the time. She was in hurry to show us the sudden affair between Julian and Lin, and most importantly the daoist sex "rituals", supposedly an extraordinary thingy, which didn't really impress me - I'd say descriptions were rather too literal and too physiological for my tastes.Also I think that she gives too much attention for the absence of female pubic hair, but hey, who am I to judge. Then she again was in hurry to show us the dramatic ending. And that's basically it. Waste of time of sorts. Giving it 2 stars for what it could be, not for what it was.
P.S. The translation was terrible. Not sure about original, I hope English readers were more lucky. And Lin's poetry was translated by a different person, who probably was much better translator than one working on the novel...
The book is about the real historical event, a short yet dramatic affair between Julian Bell and Lin Cheng. Or Chang? I was reading it in translation, so I'm not sure. And blurbs for this book are fantastically unhelpful, as they write a lot about who was Julian freaking Bell, and the female protagonist is only mentioned as "Lin". It's simply insulting. Julian was sort of a famous person anyway, if not by himself, then by his relation to Virginia Woolf (I'm afraid in my cultural circle name Julian Bell wouldn't ring any bells, haha) and Lin definitely deserved more attention and some respect, as a poet, writer and as a personality. No wonder this happened though, as the author herself didn't do a great job at uncovering who real Lin was. Here is what happened.
It's funny how well hateable she made Julian (serves him right, actually). Not sure if it was her goal. His family and relatives look pretentious and weird only, and that's also not a good thing, considering who they were (no, I don't have a cult feelings for Wolf_Bell family). Lin is too bland, too one sided, too stereotypical, and I expected author to break stereotypes here. She's sort of trying, but she sets a trap for herself and falls into it, because she writes from Julian's POV (!), while I'm not sure if she could actually relate to snobby snotty offspring of famous bohemian family with revolutionary aspirations from the very specific place and time that was Great Britain in the beginning of 20th century. I think she could - she should - relate to Lin rather, to her sensitivity, to her Chinese cultural background and upbringing. I'm talking about the woman, who was raised in Chinese tradition, was aware of her roots and in peace with them, and who was also trying to live her life as western liberated woman, and while her attempts failed, one can't say she didn't try. If it was Lin's POV, with more detail of her life, instead of Julian's dick's details, this could be a great novel. I'm not sure if Hong Ying was too weak as a writer, or the material simply was too huge for her. Or she just didn't give a damn about anything else than sexy + steamy and fast money from her editor. I don't know. Lin's lyrics in the end of book uncovered her personality better than the author did, and they simply killed the book for me. And I don't even like poetry in general.
The whole novel seems like loose notes on what could become a really interesting story, as I said before, and it feels like the author was in hurry all the time. She was in hurry to show us the sudden affair between Julian and Lin, and most importantly the daoist sex "rituals", supposedly an extraordinary thingy, which didn't really impress me - I'd say descriptions were rather too literal and too physiological for my tastes.
P.S. The translation was terrible. Not sure about original, I hope English readers were more lucky. And Lin's poetry was translated by a different person, who probably was much better translator than one working on the novel...
February 10, 2023
Muntele Luoija
A fost odata, cand eram amandoi
istoviti in pat, si tu ai soptit:
"Pot sa te vad chiar si pe intuneric".
Am iubit aceste cuvinte timp de mai multe vieti
deja. A fost ziua in care mi-ai adus
un manunchi de irisi salbatici de pe Muntele Luojia,
ziua in care ti-am spus:
"Ploaia de martie e cea mai buna ploaie".
M-am nascut in martie, nu ca ai fi stiut atunci.
Acum in sfarsit cred ca-ti lipsesc.
.............................................................................................................................
Umbra dubla
Ai trecut pe langa poarta mea
Doua caturi in sus. Pe de o parte
nu indeajuns de sus ca sa sar si sa mor pentru tine;
pe de alta, prea jos ca sa ma ridic deasupra ta si sa uit.
Asa ca nu fac nimic.
In schimb, pandesc luna ingalbenindu-se intr-o cupa
apoi o beau. E a mia oara astazi
cand am lunecat din lumea mea
intr-a ta.
Ce altceva pot face, cand tu refuzi
sa ma urmezi acasa? N-o sa mai faci asta niciodata?
Nici macar o data? Nu cand salcamul infloreste in sfarsit.
Am ales sa incep cu poeziile pe care scriitoarea si totodata protagonista romanului, Lin Cheng, le-a scris pentru Julian Bell deoarece atat autoarea cat si foarte multi dintre cititori se concentreaza pe partea erotica a romanului, care este evidenta. Mie insa mi-a placut atat povestea de iubire interzisa dintre cei doi, cat si profunzimea sentimentelor ei.
Autoarea ne lanseaza o provocare: poate un roman fi prea erotic? In prefata ea ne raspunde la aceasta intrebare cat si la altele:
- De ce cartile despre China sunt pline de detalii despre saracie?
- Sunt femeile orientale atat de senzuale?
Am mai citit de la Hong Ying si un alt roman: "Concubina din Shanghai".
Cartea de fata are la baza o poveste adevarata si anume relatia de dragoste dintre poetul Julian Bell, nepotul Virginiei Woolf si scriitoarea chineza Lin Cheng.
Romanul debuteaza cu moartea lui Julian Bell. Acesta alesese sa ajute ca sofer pe ambulanta in Razboiul Civil Spaniol iar vehicolul sau este lovit de o bomba.
Ne intoarcem in timp, la momentul sosirii lui Julian in China, acesta acceptand un post de profesor la Facultatea de Arte din Wuhan. Decanul facultatii, profesorul Cheng, este amabil cu el si o cunoaste si pe frumoasa sa sotie, scriitoare si ziarista, Lin Cheng. Cei doi devin curand amanti si se indragostesc. Scenele de amor sunt explicit descrise, erotice si fierbinti. Ea il invata arta daoista a iubirii.
Cu timpul insa, asa cum se intampla adesea in relatiile tainuite, acestea sunt ucise de lucruri din exterior. Julian se gandeste la razboi iar Lin, ramasa cu o casnicie nefericita, se gandeste la sinucidere.
Sfarsitul este sensibil si impresionant pentru cititor ducandu-ne cu gandul la Romeo si Julieta. Din pacate, uneori, dragostea trebuie sa se imbratiseze cu moartea.
In ceea ce priveste titlul romanului, "K." este un numeral ordinal ce inseamna 11, mai precis faptul ca Lin Cheng este a 11-a iubita a lui Julian.
Cat despre arta daoista a iubirii, lucrurile nu sunt prea lamurite, in carte facandu-se referire la faptul ca Yang trebuie sa se armonizeze cu Yin, ca barbatul trebuie sa se abtina: "dupa un raport sexual fara eliberare, barbatul devine mai puternic; dupa doua, ochii sunt mai ageri; dupa trei, se va vindeca de orice boala"... dupa douasprezece devine nemuritor. Cam despre asta este vorba in aceasta practica.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate ce releva in mare parte intelepciunea chineza pe care mi-ar fi placut sa o intalnesc mai des in paginile romanului:
"Daoistii subliniau ca intelepciunea adevarata putea fi atinsa doar cu o minte impacata, lasand lucrurile sa-si urmeze propriul curs."
"Cand e vorba de arta vietii, chinezii sunt gata sa renunte la viata pentru arta."
"Sa cumperi o carte e la fel ca atunci cand cumperi o concubina fermecatoare, dar frumusetea cartii e mai mare si dureaza mai mult."
"Visurile tale sunt inalte ca muntii, dar la fel de greu de strunit ca apa curgatoare."
A fost odata, cand eram amandoi
istoviti in pat, si tu ai soptit:
"Pot sa te vad chiar si pe intuneric".
Am iubit aceste cuvinte timp de mai multe vieti
deja. A fost ziua in care mi-ai adus
un manunchi de irisi salbatici de pe Muntele Luojia,
ziua in care ti-am spus:
"Ploaia de martie e cea mai buna ploaie".
M-am nascut in martie, nu ca ai fi stiut atunci.
Acum in sfarsit cred ca-ti lipsesc.
.............................................................................................................................
Umbra dubla
Ai trecut pe langa poarta mea
Doua caturi in sus. Pe de o parte
nu indeajuns de sus ca sa sar si sa mor pentru tine;
pe de alta, prea jos ca sa ma ridic deasupra ta si sa uit.
Asa ca nu fac nimic.
In schimb, pandesc luna ingalbenindu-se intr-o cupa
apoi o beau. E a mia oara astazi
cand am lunecat din lumea mea
intr-a ta.
Ce altceva pot face, cand tu refuzi
sa ma urmezi acasa? N-o sa mai faci asta niciodata?
Nici macar o data? Nu cand salcamul infloreste in sfarsit.
Am ales sa incep cu poeziile pe care scriitoarea si totodata protagonista romanului, Lin Cheng, le-a scris pentru Julian Bell deoarece atat autoarea cat si foarte multi dintre cititori se concentreaza pe partea erotica a romanului, care este evidenta. Mie insa mi-a placut atat povestea de iubire interzisa dintre cei doi, cat si profunzimea sentimentelor ei.
Autoarea ne lanseaza o provocare: poate un roman fi prea erotic? In prefata ea ne raspunde la aceasta intrebare cat si la altele:
- De ce cartile despre China sunt pline de detalii despre saracie?
- Sunt femeile orientale atat de senzuale?
Am mai citit de la Hong Ying si un alt roman: "Concubina din Shanghai".
Cartea de fata are la baza o poveste adevarata si anume relatia de dragoste dintre poetul Julian Bell, nepotul Virginiei Woolf si scriitoarea chineza Lin Cheng.
Romanul debuteaza cu moartea lui Julian Bell. Acesta alesese sa ajute ca sofer pe ambulanta in Razboiul Civil Spaniol iar vehicolul sau este lovit de o bomba.
Ne intoarcem in timp, la momentul sosirii lui Julian in China, acesta acceptand un post de profesor la Facultatea de Arte din Wuhan. Decanul facultatii, profesorul Cheng, este amabil cu el si o cunoaste si pe frumoasa sa sotie, scriitoare si ziarista, Lin Cheng. Cei doi devin curand amanti si se indragostesc. Scenele de amor sunt explicit descrise, erotice si fierbinti. Ea il invata arta daoista a iubirii.
Cu timpul insa, asa cum se intampla adesea in relatiile tainuite, acestea sunt ucise de lucruri din exterior. Julian se gandeste la razboi iar Lin, ramasa cu o casnicie nefericita, se gandeste la sinucidere.
Sfarsitul este sensibil si impresionant pentru cititor ducandu-ne cu gandul la Romeo si Julieta. Din pacate, uneori, dragostea trebuie sa se imbratiseze cu moartea.
In ceea ce priveste titlul romanului, "K." este un numeral ordinal ce inseamna 11, mai precis faptul ca Lin Cheng este a 11-a iubita a lui Julian.
Cat despre arta daoista a iubirii, lucrurile nu sunt prea lamurite, in carte facandu-se referire la faptul ca Yang trebuie sa se armonizeze cu Yin, ca barbatul trebuie sa se abtina: "dupa un raport sexual fara eliberare, barbatul devine mai puternic; dupa doua, ochii sunt mai ageri; dupa trei, se va vindeca de orice boala"... dupa douasprezece devine nemuritor. Cam despre asta este vorba in aceasta practica.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate ce releva in mare parte intelepciunea chineza pe care mi-ar fi placut sa o intalnesc mai des in paginile romanului:
"Daoistii subliniau ca intelepciunea adevarata putea fi atinsa doar cu o minte impacata, lasand lucrurile sa-si urmeze propriul curs."
"Cand e vorba de arta vietii, chinezii sunt gata sa renunte la viata pentru arta."
"Sa cumperi o carte e la fel ca atunci cand cumperi o concubina fermecatoare, dar frumusetea cartii e mai mare si dureaza mai mult."
"Visurile tale sunt inalte ca muntii, dar la fel de greu de strunit ca apa curgatoare."
July 26, 2019
erotikai ne
Žinodama, kad “K. Meilės menas” Kinijoje buvo uždrausta, tikėjausi kažko skandalingo, skoningai erotiško, o dėmesio centre - prikaustančios, dramatiškos meilės istorijos rytų ir karo nuojautos fone, o gavau greitai pamirštamą, blankų romaną, su ne visai skoninga ir tikrai nejaudinančia erotika. O kas dėl meilės, tai be jos čia daugiau nieko ir nebuvo.
Autorė pati savo įžangoje sukuria tokią lengvai dramatišką atmosferą, minėdama visokius ryšius su tikrais žymiais žmonėmis, lyg jos būtų pasaulį pakeitusios istorijos asmenybės, pasakodama, kaip jai šovė išganinga mintis parašyti šį romaną ir remiantis visokiais istoriniais šaltiniais aprašyti tikrą gaivališkos meilės istoriją. Nesu tikra, ar ta įžanga nepadarė meškos paslaugos, nes nieko ypatingo aš neradau nei Lin, nei Džiulijane, nei kurio jų gyvenime ar romane. Labai eilinė nesantuokinių santykių istorija su tokiomis pusėtinomis sekso scenomis.
O tai, kad jos geriausiu atveju pusėtinos, yra išskirtinai liūdna, kai vienas knygos objektų yra daostinis meilės menas, pabrėžiantis sekso neįtikėtiną naudą sveikatai ir ilgaamžiškumui, abiejų lyčių patiriamą malonumą, kulminacijos atidėjimą ir šiaip visokį meistriškumą, kurio ekspertė yra Lin. Pačios sekso scenos buvo suskubintos, visiškai nejaudinančios, apie tą meilės meną irgi metė vieną kitą faktą, bet bendrai aš įspūdžio apie tai kažkokio konkretesnio nesusidariau, ypač kai dauguma dalykų net ne vaizdiškai buvo papasakota, bet grynai pokalbio metu išpilta kaip žirniai, kas išvis nedarė įspūdžio.
Apskritai tos kinų kultūros knygoje ne itin daug, tikrai nežinau ar gera mintis buvo viską pasakoti iš vakariečio vyro perspektyvos. Tai leido per atstumą pasižiūrėti į daoizmo erotiškąją pusę, bet neleido į nieką iki galo įsijausti. Kas dėl karo ir revoliucijos vaizdų, tai nežinau, kam tai epizodiniai, visiškai iš konteksto iškritę žiaurumo epizodai buvo reikalingi, nes vis tiek nei karo, nei kažkokio rimtesnio politinio konflikto nebuvo pavaizduota, o tie studentų protestai prieš nusileidimą japonams tai vargu ar turėjo kažkokio svorio, kai niekur jais nebuvo nuvesta.
Tai reziumuojant, man šis romanas pasirodė grynai apie nieką - erotinis romanas be geros erotikos, dramatiška meilės istorija be dramos ir meilės, nepavyko nei bandymas supažindinti su realiai žmonėmis ar jų istorijomis, nei atskleisti kinų meilės meną, nei pateikti politinį/moralinį komentarą fašizmo/komunizmo/karo temomis, o viso to akivaizdžiai norėta.
Žinodama, kad “K. Meilės menas” Kinijoje buvo uždrausta, tikėjausi kažko skandalingo, skoningai erotiško, o dėmesio centre - prikaustančios, dramatiškos meilės istorijos rytų ir karo nuojautos fone, o gavau greitai pamirštamą, blankų romaną, su ne visai skoninga ir tikrai nejaudinančia erotika. O kas dėl meilės, tai be jos čia daugiau nieko ir nebuvo.
Autorė pati savo įžangoje sukuria tokią lengvai dramatišką atmosferą, minėdama visokius ryšius su tikrais žymiais žmonėmis, lyg jos būtų pasaulį pakeitusios istorijos asmenybės, pasakodama, kaip jai šovė išganinga mintis parašyti šį romaną ir remiantis visokiais istoriniais šaltiniais aprašyti tikrą gaivališkos meilės istoriją. Nesu tikra, ar ta įžanga nepadarė meškos paslaugos, nes nieko ypatingo aš neradau nei Lin, nei Džiulijane, nei kurio jų gyvenime ar romane. Labai eilinė nesantuokinių santykių istorija su tokiomis pusėtinomis sekso scenomis.
O tai, kad jos geriausiu atveju pusėtinos, yra išskirtinai liūdna, kai vienas knygos objektų yra daostinis meilės menas, pabrėžiantis sekso neįtikėtiną naudą sveikatai ir ilgaamžiškumui, abiejų lyčių patiriamą malonumą, kulminacijos atidėjimą ir šiaip visokį meistriškumą, kurio ekspertė yra Lin. Pačios sekso scenos buvo suskubintos, visiškai nejaudinančios, apie tą meilės meną irgi metė vieną kitą faktą, bet bendrai aš įspūdžio apie tai kažkokio konkretesnio nesusidariau, ypač kai dauguma dalykų net ne vaizdiškai buvo papasakota, bet grynai pokalbio metu išpilta kaip žirniai, kas išvis nedarė įspūdžio.
Apskritai tos kinų kultūros knygoje ne itin daug, tikrai nežinau ar gera mintis buvo viską pasakoti iš vakariečio vyro perspektyvos. Tai leido per atstumą pasižiūrėti į daoizmo erotiškąją pusę, bet neleido į nieką iki galo įsijausti. Kas dėl karo ir revoliucijos vaizdų, tai nežinau, kam tai epizodiniai, visiškai iš konteksto iškritę žiaurumo epizodai buvo reikalingi, nes vis tiek nei karo, nei kažkokio rimtesnio politinio konflikto nebuvo pavaizduota, o tie studentų protestai prieš nusileidimą japonams tai vargu ar turėjo kažkokio svorio, kai niekur jais nebuvo nuvesta.
Tai reziumuojant, man šis romanas pasirodė grynai apie nieką - erotinis romanas be geros erotikos, dramatiška meilės istorija be dramos ir meilės, nepavyko nei bandymas supažindinti su realiai žmonėmis ar jų istorijomis, nei atskleisti kinų meilės meną, nei pateikti politinį/moralinį komentarą fašizmo/komunizmo/karo temomis, o viso to akivaizdžiai norėta.
September 21, 2015
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh! Caught in a bad romance. Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah! China-china-china. Ga-ga-ooh-la-la. Want your bad romance. I would recommend this book because of the steamy sex. But those Brits, they had to put their colonial paws on everything.
December 11, 2016
Pretentious and slightly pathetic. I didnt feel it at all.
June 15, 2013
This is a fictional story about real-life people: Julian Bell and Ling Shuhua.
My Take
I suspect it's a cultural difference, but I did not find K: The Art of Love to be erotic. Primarily because I thought Julian Bell was a naive, selfish, egocentric "boy" playing with people. He wanted what he couldn't have, and as soon as he could have it, he didn't want it.
As far as I'm concerned, there was no loss to the world when he died. His family? Yeah...
My father-in-law was an artist and acquainted with the Bloomsbury group, and he wasn't impressed with them or their art. I suspect it was the art, or how it was applied all over the house, that was his main bone of contention with them. I haven't paid much attention to their personal lives as I've been more fascinated by the art---and how it was applied all over the house…*grin*...and the bits of Hong Ying's story that touches on the Bell/Woolf/Fry household help me understand better why Dad wasn't inspired by them. A group of people caught in the public eye who felt they had to continue to live up to their professed philosophies, however much it hurt.
Julian was probably typical of celebrity kids who feel a need to be as good as their parents, and I suspect he struggled all his life between feeling like the golden boy and wondering if he was any good. He definitely absorbed a sense of superiority from his extended family and believed anything that was dissimilar to what he (or his family) considered quality was inferior or childish. He was more interested in play than reality—wait'll you get to his foray onto the battlefield, oh brother—and he was extremely quick to interpret people's actions as he pleased without any input from them. And then base his decisions upon his interpretations.
Hong Ying's focus, though, is on the sexual side of the Bell philosophy with Julian unable to comprehend the wrongness of his selfish actions. It's odd, Hong Ying, in his introduction, hoped that the reader is able to feel the eroticism of his story. Unfortunately, it failed for me. Yes, the erotica is there, but I found the Daoist philosophy about sex more interesting than reading about a sexually frustrated woman eager to apply the Daoist teachings from the Jade Chamber Classic, "a legendary 'Art of Love'", with a self-absorbed young man who is too terrified of the future---and doesn't sound like he's any good in bed. Then there's their insta-love for which Ying doesn't provide a reason. It's more as if he needs to have them get together, so, voila.
The writing is stilted in parts and chunks of it sway between show and tell with a sense of being part of an outline that never got filled in, but I believe some of the stiltedness is due to English being Hong Ying's second language.
To be honest, I found this story dumb and annoying. I loved seeing this snapshot of the China of 1936 and how people lived, the different beliefs. Now if only we could have explored it without Julian getting in the way.
The Story
Julian Bell has received a invitation to teach at a Chinese university in Wuchang where he meets Lin Cheng, the wife of the dean of his department. A woman with whom he is almost instantly fascinated and pursues in spite of her reluctance.
A reluctance that falls away into an affair.
The Characters
Julian Bell is the son of Vanessa and Clive Bell of Bloomsbury fame; he's rude, selfish, quick to "defend his turf", and a child in a man's body. A renowned poet, he alternately basks in and questions his abilities even as he subconsciously appears to seek his own death.
Lin Cheng (in real life, Ling Shuhua) is a renowned Chinese writer, the editor of the Wuhan Daily Literary Supplement, and the wife of Professor Cheng, the dean of the School of Arts. Both are part of the New Moon Society.
Wizard and Vole---his names for the two servants who come with the house the university has found for him.
Sir Harold Acton is teaching at Peking University. Yi is the Chinese student Julian inveigles into helping him find the Red Army so Julian can play revolutionary. Too bad he's so clueless about the truth of war.
The Cover
The cover at first appears to be a pale pink fabric with handpainted blossoms descending from the upper left and a large "K" embroidered in the center, but when you really look, it's a woman's naked backside from shoulders to just below her buttocks.
The title references both Julian and Lin with "K" representing where Lin stands in the line-up of Julian's lovers and the art of love being Lin's Daoist philosophy combining to create K: The Art of Love.
My Take
I suspect it's a cultural difference, but I did not find K: The Art of Love to be erotic. Primarily because I thought Julian Bell was a naive, selfish, egocentric "boy" playing with people. He wanted what he couldn't have, and as soon as he could have it, he didn't want it.
As far as I'm concerned, there was no loss to the world when he died. His family? Yeah...
My father-in-law was an artist and acquainted with the Bloomsbury group, and he wasn't impressed with them or their art. I suspect it was the art, or how it was applied all over the house, that was his main bone of contention with them. I haven't paid much attention to their personal lives as I've been more fascinated by the art---and how it was applied all over the house…*grin*...and the bits of Hong Ying's story that touches on the Bell/Woolf/Fry household help me understand better why Dad wasn't inspired by them. A group of people caught in the public eye who felt they had to continue to live up to their professed philosophies, however much it hurt.
Julian was probably typical of celebrity kids who feel a need to be as good as their parents, and I suspect he struggled all his life between feeling like the golden boy and wondering if he was any good. He definitely absorbed a sense of superiority from his extended family and believed anything that was dissimilar to what he (or his family) considered quality was inferior or childish. He was more interested in play than reality—wait'll you get to his foray onto the battlefield, oh brother—and he was extremely quick to interpret people's actions as he pleased without any input from them. And then base his decisions upon his interpretations.
Hong Ying's focus, though, is on the sexual side of the Bell philosophy with Julian unable to comprehend the wrongness of his selfish actions. It's odd, Hong Ying, in his introduction, hoped that the reader is able to feel the eroticism of his story. Unfortunately, it failed for me. Yes, the erotica is there, but I found the Daoist philosophy about sex more interesting than reading about a sexually frustrated woman eager to apply the Daoist teachings from the Jade Chamber Classic, "a legendary 'Art of Love'", with a self-absorbed young man who is too terrified of the future---and doesn't sound like he's any good in bed. Then there's their insta-love for which Ying doesn't provide a reason. It's more as if he needs to have them get together, so, voila.
Julian suddenly decides he wants to kiss this married Chinese woman who has not indicated any interest in him, and when she jumps when he puts her hand on his [trouser-clad] cock, this is his reaction:
"Julian was nonplussed. Had he moved too fast? Was it his erection that had frightened her?"
The writing is stilted in parts and chunks of it sway between show and tell with a sense of being part of an outline that never got filled in, but I believe some of the stiltedness is due to English being Hong Ying's second language.
To be honest, I found this story dumb and annoying. I loved seeing this snapshot of the China of 1936 and how people lived, the different beliefs. Now if only we could have explored it without Julian getting in the way.
The Story
Julian Bell has received a invitation to teach at a Chinese university in Wuchang where he meets Lin Cheng, the wife of the dean of his department. A woman with whom he is almost instantly fascinated and pursues in spite of her reluctance.
A reluctance that falls away into an affair.
The Characters
Julian Bell is the son of Vanessa and Clive Bell of Bloomsbury fame; he's rude, selfish, quick to "defend his turf", and a child in a man's body. A renowned poet, he alternately basks in and questions his abilities even as he subconsciously appears to seek his own death.
Lin Cheng (in real life, Ling Shuhua) is a renowned Chinese writer, the editor of the Wuhan Daily Literary Supplement, and the wife of Professor Cheng, the dean of the School of Arts. Both are part of the New Moon Society.
Wizard and Vole---his names for the two servants who come with the house the university has found for him.
Sir Harold Acton is teaching at Peking University. Yi is the Chinese student Julian inveigles into helping him find the Red Army so Julian can play revolutionary. Too bad he's so clueless about the truth of war.
The Cover
The cover at first appears to be a pale pink fabric with handpainted blossoms descending from the upper left and a large "K" embroidered in the center, but when you really look, it's a woman's naked backside from shoulders to just below her buttocks.
The title references both Julian and Lin with "K" representing where Lin stands in the line-up of Julian's lovers and the art of love being Lin's Daoist philosophy combining to create K: The Art of Love.
June 25, 2017
So well written. I love that it is based on a true story. It is an experience, not just a book, which stays with one.
March 6, 2023
3.5
«Te veo hasta en la oscuridad»
Llevo varias vidas amando esa palabras.
Tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados respecto a este libro. No entiendo a Julian, creo que en el fondo es sólo una persona que busca un poco de emoción en su vida y por eso se siente tan atraído hacia la guerra y el amor.
Aunque al principio tampoco entendía a Lin, creo que solo es una víctima más de su época. Una mujer que tiene que decidir entre conformarse con una vida decente que no la llena o arriesgarse a perderla y dejarse llevar.
En el trasfondo del libro, se puede ver bastante bien como era la vida de una mujer (de clase media-alta) en la primera mitad del siglo XX, la situación de China-Japón en la II Guerra Mundial e incluso la Guerra Civil española vista desde fuera.
También es muy útil si quieres saber más sobre las artes de amar taoístas o adentrarte un poco más en el pensamiento chino.
«Te veo hasta en la oscuridad»
Llevo varias vidas amando esa palabras.
Tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados respecto a este libro. No entiendo a Julian, creo que en el fondo es sólo una persona que busca un poco de emoción en su vida y por eso se siente tan atraído hacia la guerra y el amor.
Aunque al principio tampoco entendía a Lin, creo que solo es una víctima más de su época. Una mujer que tiene que decidir entre conformarse con una vida decente que no la llena o arriesgarse a perderla y dejarse llevar.
En el trasfondo del libro, se puede ver bastante bien como era la vida de una mujer (de clase media-alta) en la primera mitad del siglo XX, la situación de China-Japón en la II Guerra Mundial e incluso la Guerra Civil española vista desde fuera.
También es muy útil si quieres saber más sobre las artes de amar taoístas o adentrarte un poco más en el pensamiento chino.
October 31, 2012
Jedna od najvećih trešina koje sam ikad pročitala. Ne znam koji mi je vrag bio; u to doba sam pokušala istražiti egzotične pisce. Drugim riječima, čitala sam kineske, japanske, portugalske, španjolske pisce i naišla, između ostalog na ovu knjigu, na Lutkicu iz Pekinga (Chun Sue), Sažeti Kinesko-engleski rječnik za ljubavnike (Xiaolu Guo), djela Wei Hui (sve stavljam u kategoriju trešine. Na sreću naišla sam i na Things Fall Apart (C. Achebe) i na Implacable Order of Things (Peixoto), što svrstavam u all time favourites.
Ove aforementioned mogu i nekako proći, ali ova..ova zaslušuje review u kojem se posebno ističe da je ovo baaaaaad book.
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Ove aforementioned mogu i nekako proći, ali ova..ova zaslušuje review u kojem se posebno ističe da je ovo baaaaaad book.
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March 26, 2007
This fictional biography is based on an actual relationship between Julian Bell (nephew of Virgina Woolf) & "K" a Chinese intellectual in the 1930s. It is tragic, erotic & simply written. It is an excellent study in contrasts: male/female, Chinese/British, yin/yang as well as similarities such as K being a member of the Chinese version of the Bloomsbery group. A very unique piece of prose. Written by a young Chinese woman, it was fraught with controversy such that she was legally forced by K's family to retract/re-write the book.
November 10, 2009
Lovely book. Hong Ying writes with a clear elegant style. The bedroom scenes - in Minnesota we'd call them "interesting". I felt like something was missing however and I can't put my finger on it.
August 29, 2022
Such a strange book!
I’ve read it because it’s a well written book, but the content itself is not immediately easy to grasp.
Definitely a different kind of book to the one I usually read, Lin and Julian story left me shocked and I couldn’t understand completely what learnings to take from it.
I’ve read it because it’s a well written book, but the content itself is not immediately easy to grasp.
Definitely a different kind of book to the one I usually read, Lin and Julian story left me shocked and I couldn’t understand completely what learnings to take from it.
June 13, 2008
K: El arte del amor, como novela romántica conjuga la trama con la carga erótica de manera precisa, en ese sentido pudiera ser ejemplo de lo que Berlanga y De Moura refieren como la inclusión del erotismo en otros géneros literarios. El componente sensual no es sólo la relación carnal entre sus personajes, sino el encuentro de distintos acercamientos al sexo y deviene en parte fundamental de los entreveros de la novela.
Resulta singular que esta novela escrita por una mujer china narre a través de un personaje masculino y occidental la historia: Casi todos los aspectos de la vida de K, su formación en el Arte del Tao y el de la alcoba; la universidad; y el ambiente de Wuhan son referidos a través de lo que Julián Bell escribió a su madre, (a la que en una derrapante relación edípica le escribía diariamente, y por lo visto con bastante detalle), por supuesto tamizados por la recreación de la autora. Y llama mi atención porque le da una posibilidad extra: conocer la cultura y el ambiente de primera mano y poder complementarla con el punto de vista occidental que sobre ello tuvo Julián Bell.
K no sólo se enamora de Julián, sino que a través de él logra poner en práctica su sabiduría en el Arte de pareja en la alcoba, que antes sólo había podido entrever, aunque se esforzara en el Tao siendo ella su única beneficiaria. ¿Por qué?, porque su esposo, catedrático e intelectual, despreciaba aquellas prácticas irracionales y anticuadas, que ella heredaba directamente de sus padres.
Hong Ying se sirve así del contraste entre aquellos dos hombres que no logran comprender a K: Un marido que despreciaba su herencia erótico-cultural y un amante extranjero que obtenía provecho, que aún sin saberlo se enamoraba, pero que confunde la liberalidad carnal de sus mentores de Bloomsbury con el terso amor romance que construye con su amante.
K está atrapada en un mundo de hombres, y si bien decide dejar que las circunstancias exploten, no consigue lo que los amantes desean. Julián reniega del embrujo femenino y en cambio abraza la sinrazón de la ideología. Ninguno de los dos amantes llega a buen puerto. Julián Bell condesciende con sus ideales y coloca la cabeza en la guillotina de la Guerra Civil Española y K vuelve a procurarse con su propia mano la solución a su angustia.
Hong Ying logra mostrar la sinrazón oriental y occidental que reniega del erotismo sublime y satisfactorio que concita el Arte de la Alcoba que los chinos conformaron a lo largo de los siglos, y sin volver su novela un panfleto descara ambos puntos de vista; el chino que ignora y desprecia por accesorio y hedonista el conocimiento del Tao y de los Manuales de alcoba y el occidental liberado que no sabe hallar sustento espiritual en la danza de los patos mandarines, en el ayuntamiento carnal.
Novela interesante y que bien puede servir para traer a la conversación el ancestral conocimiento chino de la complementariedad de los contrarios, de la fusión del ying y el yang, de la satisfacción espiritual a través del natural encuentro de las mujeres y los hombres.
Resulta singular que esta novela escrita por una mujer china narre a través de un personaje masculino y occidental la historia: Casi todos los aspectos de la vida de K, su formación en el Arte del Tao y el de la alcoba; la universidad; y el ambiente de Wuhan son referidos a través de lo que Julián Bell escribió a su madre, (a la que en una derrapante relación edípica le escribía diariamente, y por lo visto con bastante detalle), por supuesto tamizados por la recreación de la autora. Y llama mi atención porque le da una posibilidad extra: conocer la cultura y el ambiente de primera mano y poder complementarla con el punto de vista occidental que sobre ello tuvo Julián Bell.
K no sólo se enamora de Julián, sino que a través de él logra poner en práctica su sabiduría en el Arte de pareja en la alcoba, que antes sólo había podido entrever, aunque se esforzara en el Tao siendo ella su única beneficiaria. ¿Por qué?, porque su esposo, catedrático e intelectual, despreciaba aquellas prácticas irracionales y anticuadas, que ella heredaba directamente de sus padres.
Hong Ying se sirve así del contraste entre aquellos dos hombres que no logran comprender a K: Un marido que despreciaba su herencia erótico-cultural y un amante extranjero que obtenía provecho, que aún sin saberlo se enamoraba, pero que confunde la liberalidad carnal de sus mentores de Bloomsbury con el terso amor romance que construye con su amante.
K está atrapada en un mundo de hombres, y si bien decide dejar que las circunstancias exploten, no consigue lo que los amantes desean. Julián reniega del embrujo femenino y en cambio abraza la sinrazón de la ideología. Ninguno de los dos amantes llega a buen puerto. Julián Bell condesciende con sus ideales y coloca la cabeza en la guillotina de la Guerra Civil Española y K vuelve a procurarse con su propia mano la solución a su angustia.
Hong Ying logra mostrar la sinrazón oriental y occidental que reniega del erotismo sublime y satisfactorio que concita el Arte de la Alcoba que los chinos conformaron a lo largo de los siglos, y sin volver su novela un panfleto descara ambos puntos de vista; el chino que ignora y desprecia por accesorio y hedonista el conocimiento del Tao y de los Manuales de alcoba y el occidental liberado que no sabe hallar sustento espiritual en la danza de los patos mandarines, en el ayuntamiento carnal.
Novela interesante y que bien puede servir para traer a la conversación el ancestral conocimiento chino de la complementariedad de los contrarios, de la fusión del ying y el yang, de la satisfacción espiritual a través del natural encuentro de las mujeres y los hombres.
February 25, 2015
I am one of those people who believe that, yes, you can totally judge a book by its cover.
In this case, it appeared that the author considered Chinese women to not be sexualized nearly enough and inadvertently felt the worst urge to compensate.
I also believe that banning or trashing a book without giving ample reason why can be counterproductive - in this case, leading to more curious, impressionable young girls reading this and taking it far too seriously, or worse, learning from it in subjects where all other avenues have failed them (What is a healthy sexuality? I have no idea because the smart adults won't tell me anything.). People have to understand why something is bad, not because they are told it is, but because it has been analyzed (then ridiculed) to death so that the author can sit in a corner and cry when it fades into obscurity (as opposed to taking it to court to give it free advertising).
I did read this a few years ago when I was that impressionable (and without access to an adequate supply of books with WoC, let alone Chinese women). So that made me more inclined to give it several benefits of the doubt and to spend real time imagining where Hong Ying might have possibly been going with this book; what was supposed to bring justice to a entitled white man's colonized paramour; since she, after all, does consider one of her greatest goals in life to uplift the marginalized.
Aside from being anatomically unfeasible and inaccurate (it is nothing less of pornography anyways), Lin embodied every single stereotype you could possibly imagine for a fetish fueled image of the Asian woman - submissive, emotionally masochistic, knowledgeable of "Eastern" arts of sex, and of course, being shackled to an impotent Chinese husband.
The narrative, colonized WoC becoming a willing sex slave to a white man all the way to her dying with him being the last thing she saw, was commenced (and I commend this in the most sardonic way possible) better than Suzie Wong.
I have not read 50 Shades of Grey but I imagine this is probably comparable in terms of bad literature that I pray all teenage girls, especially adolescents who have the added burden of their race to consider in the shaping of their sexualities, will never have to see.
In this case, it appeared that the author considered Chinese women to not be sexualized nearly enough and inadvertently felt the worst urge to compensate.
I also believe that banning or trashing a book without giving ample reason why can be counterproductive - in this case, leading to more curious, impressionable young girls reading this and taking it far too seriously, or worse, learning from it in subjects where all other avenues have failed them (What is a healthy sexuality? I have no idea because the smart adults won't tell me anything.). People have to understand why something is bad, not because they are told it is, but because it has been analyzed (then ridiculed) to death so that the author can sit in a corner and cry when it fades into obscurity (as opposed to taking it to court to give it free advertising).
I did read this a few years ago when I was that impressionable (and without access to an adequate supply of books with WoC, let alone Chinese women). So that made me more inclined to give it several benefits of the doubt and to spend real time imagining where Hong Ying might have possibly been going with this book; what was supposed to bring justice to a entitled white man's colonized paramour; since she, after all, does consider one of her greatest goals in life to uplift the marginalized.
Aside from being anatomically unfeasible and inaccurate (it is nothing less of pornography anyways), Lin embodied every single stereotype you could possibly imagine for a fetish fueled image of the Asian woman - submissive, emotionally masochistic, knowledgeable of "Eastern" arts of sex, and of course, being shackled to an impotent Chinese husband.
The narrative, colonized WoC becoming a willing sex slave to a white man all the way to her dying with him being the last thing she saw, was commenced (and I commend this in the most sardonic way possible) better than Suzie Wong.
I have not read 50 Shades of Grey but I imagine this is probably comparable in terms of bad literature that I pray all teenage girls, especially adolescents who have the added burden of their race to consider in the shaping of their sexualities, will never have to see.
September 18, 2011
I enjoyed the story - not a long book - finished it in a couple of days. Fascinating insights into the so called Bloomsbury set - cast as a bunch of outrageous libertines. Contrary to some comments here, I thought the characters were efficiently drawn and I found myself fascinated by them. In the end the main character, Julian Bell, turned out to be quite heartless, but I think that was simply his nature, his upbringing, and his so called "class". And I hated him for it. As a guy I was more drawn to K and her predicament. Yes, the book was explicit, and deliciously erotic, however, I was hoping for more philosophical insights into the Daoist "art of love", which the book seemed to promise, but which I felt didn't really deliver. That said - I'll definitely look out for other works by Hong Ying.
September 22, 2012
Interesting but in an artistic way, not in a way the average persion can relate to on a daily level.
It is a verbal equivalent of a Merchant Ivory film. You can admire it on a technical level, and even enjoy it, but it's not going to be one of your favourite all time movies.
It's kind of like poetry in the way it decribes colours and smells and sensations. The characters are both self-absorbed in their own differing ways and are obviously doomed from the beginning.
It is a verbal equivalent of a Merchant Ivory film. You can admire it on a technical level, and even enjoy it, but it's not going to be one of your favourite all time movies.
It's kind of like poetry in the way it decribes colours and smells and sensations. The characters are both self-absorbed in their own differing ways and are obviously doomed from the beginning.
June 2, 2022
Die Bewertung bezieht sich auf die deutsche Übersetzung.
Es ist schwer hier eine einzelne Bewertung abzugeben. Ich müsste dieses Werk auf mehreren Ebenen bewerten da die real existierenden Rahmenbedingungen für die Story wichtig zu erwähnen sind und den Inhalt des Buches aufwerten.
Die Autorin beschreibt fiktional die Affäre, welche es in der Realität gegeben haben soll, zwischen dem britischen Literaten Julian Bell und der chinesischen Schriftstellerin Ling Shuhua (Im Buch als Lin bezeichnet) im Jahr 1935.
Chen Hsiao-Ying, die Tochter von Ling Shuhua und Chen Yuan (welcher in der Geschichte als Cheng bezeichnet wird und auch dort der Ehemann von Lin ist) verklagte Hong Ying aufgrund von Rufschädigung, weshalb das Werk in China auf dem Index steht.
Was hat mir gefallen?
Die Autorin schafft es reale Ereignisse wie die politische Situationen in China und Europa perfekt in die Story zu integrieren. Die Verflechtung von realen Persönlichkeiten und Ereignissen mit den fiktiven Erzählungen der Affäre lassen den Eindruck entstehen dass es so passiert seien könnte. Ich wurde ein bisschen in das Feeling der Zeit hineingeworfen, wo das Damoklesschwert des Weltkrieges über den Alltag schwebt...Es sind nur kurz eingeworfene Ereignisse. Der Großteil dreht sich um die Affäre.
Was hat mich gestört?
Auf dem Klappentext vom Buchcover wurde ein Zitat von Hong Ying aufgedruckt, bei der sie sagt, dass dieser Roman der erste in China ist, der Sexualität aus weiblicher Sicht beschreibt...Naja. Ich will ihr nicht zu Nahe treten. Es hat sicher Grenzen durchbrochen was dieses Thema anbelangt aber das Buch ist ausschließlich aus der Sicht von Julian geschrieben. Wir lernen seine Gedankengänge kennen, bei der ich mir dachte: Wow, Julian hat es nicht drauf. Es ist authentisch. Objektifizierungen und ethnozentrische Tendenzen sind in seinen Gedanken und Verhalten aufzuschnappen. Genauso stelle ich mir die Ansichten von progressiven männlichen Europäern zu dieser Zeit vor. Das hat die Autorin gut gemacht aber das Zitat ist irreführend. Ihr werdet bei diesem Roman an einigen Stellen denken ihr lest ein Buch von Peter Scholl-Latour (Der für mich die Allegorie von männlicher, kolonialer Literatur ist) und das ist keine weibliche Sicht! Ich wurde dahingehend etwas getäuscht weshalb ich rein vom Inhalt nur 2 Sterne vergeben würde. Wenn ich an das Buch mit anderen Erwartungen herangegangen wäre dann würde vielleicht besser ausfallen. Diese Beziehung zwischen den beiden Charakteren ist keine außerordentlichen Story. Genauso liest man sie häufig. Viele auf und abs. Alles ist kompliziert. Lin hat beim Sex das Szepter in der Hand oder wirkt zumindest erfahren und weiß was sie will und sagt es auch. Ich denke dass ist was Ying meinte in ihrem Zitat. Sie übernimmt die Kontrolle über ihre sexuelle Selbstbestimmung was in der chinesischen Gesellschaft normalerweise nicht der Fall ist, laut Autorin.
Und um die Klammer nochmal mit Yings Zitat zu schließen. Hier zum nachlesen: "Die chinesische Geliebte ist der erste hiesige Roman, der Sexualität aus weiblicher Sicht beschreibt. Eine Frau, die den Mann mit Sex kontrolliert, die selbst kontrollieren kann, ob sie schwanger wird - solche weibliche Macht ist für Chinas Männer noch immer zu viel."
Diese realen Bezüge, die im Verbot des Buches in China gipfeln, lassen dieses Werk aufjedenfall zu einem Klassiker werden dass es wert ist gelesen zu werden. Aber nicht unbedingt vom Inhalt. Julian nervt extrem... Das ist von der Autorin aber so gewollt. Bin ich mir ziemlich sicher.
Es ist schwer hier eine einzelne Bewertung abzugeben. Ich müsste dieses Werk auf mehreren Ebenen bewerten da die real existierenden Rahmenbedingungen für die Story wichtig zu erwähnen sind und den Inhalt des Buches aufwerten.
Die Autorin beschreibt fiktional die Affäre, welche es in der Realität gegeben haben soll, zwischen dem britischen Literaten Julian Bell und der chinesischen Schriftstellerin Ling Shuhua (Im Buch als Lin bezeichnet) im Jahr 1935.
Chen Hsiao-Ying, die Tochter von Ling Shuhua und Chen Yuan (welcher in der Geschichte als Cheng bezeichnet wird und auch dort der Ehemann von Lin ist) verklagte Hong Ying aufgrund von Rufschädigung, weshalb das Werk in China auf dem Index steht.
Was hat mir gefallen?
Die Autorin schafft es reale Ereignisse wie die politische Situationen in China und Europa perfekt in die Story zu integrieren. Die Verflechtung von realen Persönlichkeiten und Ereignissen mit den fiktiven Erzählungen der Affäre lassen den Eindruck entstehen dass es so passiert seien könnte. Ich wurde ein bisschen in das Feeling der Zeit hineingeworfen, wo das Damoklesschwert des Weltkrieges über den Alltag schwebt...Es sind nur kurz eingeworfene Ereignisse. Der Großteil dreht sich um die Affäre.
Was hat mich gestört?
Auf dem Klappentext vom Buchcover wurde ein Zitat von Hong Ying aufgedruckt, bei der sie sagt, dass dieser Roman der erste in China ist, der Sexualität aus weiblicher Sicht beschreibt...Naja. Ich will ihr nicht zu Nahe treten. Es hat sicher Grenzen durchbrochen was dieses Thema anbelangt aber das Buch ist ausschließlich aus der Sicht von Julian geschrieben. Wir lernen seine Gedankengänge kennen, bei der ich mir dachte: Wow, Julian hat es nicht drauf. Es ist authentisch. Objektifizierungen und ethnozentrische Tendenzen sind in seinen Gedanken und Verhalten aufzuschnappen. Genauso stelle ich mir die Ansichten von progressiven männlichen Europäern zu dieser Zeit vor. Das hat die Autorin gut gemacht aber das Zitat ist irreführend. Ihr werdet bei diesem Roman an einigen Stellen denken ihr lest ein Buch von Peter Scholl-Latour (Der für mich die Allegorie von männlicher, kolonialer Literatur ist) und das ist keine weibliche Sicht! Ich wurde dahingehend etwas getäuscht weshalb ich rein vom Inhalt nur 2 Sterne vergeben würde. Wenn ich an das Buch mit anderen Erwartungen herangegangen wäre dann würde vielleicht besser ausfallen. Diese Beziehung zwischen den beiden Charakteren ist keine außerordentlichen Story. Genauso liest man sie häufig. Viele auf und abs. Alles ist kompliziert. Lin hat beim Sex das Szepter in der Hand oder wirkt zumindest erfahren und weiß was sie will und sagt es auch. Ich denke dass ist was Ying meinte in ihrem Zitat. Sie übernimmt die Kontrolle über ihre sexuelle Selbstbestimmung was in der chinesischen Gesellschaft normalerweise nicht der Fall ist, laut Autorin.
Und um die Klammer nochmal mit Yings Zitat zu schließen. Hier zum nachlesen: "Die chinesische Geliebte ist der erste hiesige Roman, der Sexualität aus weiblicher Sicht beschreibt. Eine Frau, die den Mann mit Sex kontrolliert, die selbst kontrollieren kann, ob sie schwanger wird - solche weibliche Macht ist für Chinas Männer noch immer zu viel."
Diese realen Bezüge, die im Verbot des Buches in China gipfeln, lassen dieses Werk aufjedenfall zu einem Klassiker werden dass es wert ist gelesen zu werden. Aber nicht unbedingt vom Inhalt. Julian nervt extrem... Das ist von der Autorin aber so gewollt. Bin ich mir ziemlich sicher.
March 16, 2022
After reading "The Concubine of Shanghai" I noticed that Ying's best-seller was actually K. The Art Of Love. Let's read this one, I said to myself. Well, they say don't judge a book by its cover, but one could not be wrong judging this cover. Lin was a real writer and poet, but in the book, she is just this gorgeous Chinese woman who seduces Bell and loves sex. Well, I am not ok with this. I expected more from the author since she is a woman, and Chinese too. Anyway, both of them just needed some therapy, a thing that wasn't probably very common back then. So sad that these two characters were writers/poets (meaning that they had their way with words) but when it came to talking with each other they lacked the skills.
May 21, 2014
"La finzione non può essere più erotica di ciò che sperimentiamo nella vita reale".
Nell'ultima pagina di questo splendido tesoro, l'autrice precisa lo scopo che si era prefissata attraverso la narrazione di una storia d'amore, passione, distruzione che non ha niente a che vedere con le spesso banali storie narrateci in questi ultimi anni.
Ammetto d'aver avuto una relazione alquanto complicata con questo romanzo. Appena acquistato, iniziai a leggerlo subito... Curiosa di conoscerne la storia. Poi per forza di cose, sono stata costretta ad accantonarne la lettura. E così per un po' di mesi, finché decisi di lasciar perdere e dedicarmi ad altro. Evidentemente, non avevo bisogno di questa storia in quei momenti.
Poi, però, giovedì 15 maggio mi son decisa a riprendere dall'inizio. Ed è stato un susseguirsi di emozioni e calore che trasudano da 222 pagine. Hong Ying, l'autrice, scrive alla fine: "Provate a restituire su carta la sensazione di bruciore che si prova quando si avvicina un fiammifero alla pelle, e vi mancheranno le parole". Che dire? Ha perfettamente ragione.
Julian, nipote di Virginia Woolf e figlio di Vanessa Bell, è un giovanotto che crede di sapere tutto dell'amore solo perché ha avuto parecchie storie, prima di incontrare lei, Lin. O "K", l'undicesima lettera dell'alfabeto. L'undicesima e ultima amante.
Tra loro vi è una passione fatta di sguardi, di carezze, di botte e risposte... Una passione travolgente che li vede complici a Pechino, disinibiti o semplicemente innamorati. Julian aveva sempre creduto che sesso e amore potessero essere disgiunti, che si potesse praticare sesso senza coinvolgere l'Anima, ma Lin, attraverso la sua Arte, riesce a dimostrargli che non è esattamente così che vanno le cose.
Un romanzo, una storia intensa che lascia senza fiato. Che brucia nella pelle anche dopo aver ultimato la lettura. Forse perché i suoi protagonisti sono esistiti davvero. Forse perché davvero si sono amati.
Julian & Lin sono legati da un Amore che va oltre il sesso e oltre la morte. Lei che tenta disperatamente il suicidio, per restare sospesa a metà tra la vita e la morte, solo per poterlo riavere. Solo per poter essere di nuovo sua. Questo è Amore. Quell'Amore che brucia nella pelle e nell'anima.
Nell'ultima pagina di questo splendido tesoro, l'autrice precisa lo scopo che si era prefissata attraverso la narrazione di una storia d'amore, passione, distruzione che non ha niente a che vedere con le spesso banali storie narrateci in questi ultimi anni.
Ammetto d'aver avuto una relazione alquanto complicata con questo romanzo. Appena acquistato, iniziai a leggerlo subito... Curiosa di conoscerne la storia. Poi per forza di cose, sono stata costretta ad accantonarne la lettura. E così per un po' di mesi, finché decisi di lasciar perdere e dedicarmi ad altro. Evidentemente, non avevo bisogno di questa storia in quei momenti.
Poi, però, giovedì 15 maggio mi son decisa a riprendere dall'inizio. Ed è stato un susseguirsi di emozioni e calore che trasudano da 222 pagine. Hong Ying, l'autrice, scrive alla fine: "Provate a restituire su carta la sensazione di bruciore che si prova quando si avvicina un fiammifero alla pelle, e vi mancheranno le parole". Che dire? Ha perfettamente ragione.
Julian, nipote di Virginia Woolf e figlio di Vanessa Bell, è un giovanotto che crede di sapere tutto dell'amore solo perché ha avuto parecchie storie, prima di incontrare lei, Lin. O "K", l'undicesima lettera dell'alfabeto. L'undicesima e ultima amante.
Tra loro vi è una passione fatta di sguardi, di carezze, di botte e risposte... Una passione travolgente che li vede complici a Pechino, disinibiti o semplicemente innamorati. Julian aveva sempre creduto che sesso e amore potessero essere disgiunti, che si potesse praticare sesso senza coinvolgere l'Anima, ma Lin, attraverso la sua Arte, riesce a dimostrargli che non è esattamente così che vanno le cose.
Un romanzo, una storia intensa che lascia senza fiato. Che brucia nella pelle anche dopo aver ultimato la lettura. Forse perché i suoi protagonisti sono esistiti davvero. Forse perché davvero si sono amati.
Julian & Lin sono legati da un Amore che va oltre il sesso e oltre la morte. Lei che tenta disperatamente il suicidio, per restare sospesa a metà tra la vita e la morte, solo per poterlo riavere. Solo per poter essere di nuovo sua. Questo è Amore. Quell'Amore che brucia nella pelle e nell'anima.
September 7, 2011
I like this book. I am very interested in the real-life people and events in both the Chinese and the English segments of the literary circle.
However, this novel doesn't quite fulfil it's promise. Sometimes its simple sentences work. Sometimes they seem stilted. They aren't charged with emotion. They don't vibrate with life. They stay on the paper.
There are erotic passages and explicitly sexual passages. These I found interesting. The other interactions with the characters were less so. I think Hong Ying was inhibited by the towering reputations of the literary figures whose lives she was depicting. It's not easy to write about other writers and to uncover their most intimate relationships.
It's a beautiful attempt at a very ambitious project, though.
In her foreword, the author asks: Are Oriental women really so irresistibly seductive?
Let me answer: Not always. Some days we just stay in bed and eat seaweed crackers.
However, this novel doesn't quite fulfil it's promise. Sometimes its simple sentences work. Sometimes they seem stilted. They aren't charged with emotion. They don't vibrate with life. They stay on the paper.
There are erotic passages and explicitly sexual passages. These I found interesting. The other interactions with the characters were less so. I think Hong Ying was inhibited by the towering reputations of the literary figures whose lives she was depicting. It's not easy to write about other writers and to uncover their most intimate relationships.
It's a beautiful attempt at a very ambitious project, though.
In her foreword, the author asks: Are Oriental women really so irresistibly seductive?
Let me answer: Not always. Some days we just stay in bed and eat seaweed crackers.
December 28, 2010
The cover claims that this is "The Chinese Lady Chatterley's Lover", based on a true story, an "Erotic" tale of forbidden love.
It's about as erotic as a wet tea towel.
The story of Julian Bell (nephew of Virgina Woolf) and Lin Cheng, the wife of the dean of the university he goes to teach at in China.
Bell comes over as very selfish, who thinks that women are just there to give him pleasure. She comes over as completely insecure and becomes suicidal when he cools their relationship. They both loved each other, but he didn't want to be tied down and forced into making a decision about their relationship.
The most interesting part of the story for me concerned Julians trip to try and track down the Red Army and ended up witnessing a mass execution.
It's about as erotic as a wet tea towel.
The story of Julian Bell (nephew of Virgina Woolf) and Lin Cheng, the wife of the dean of the university he goes to teach at in China.
Bell comes over as very selfish, who thinks that women are just there to give him pleasure. She comes over as completely insecure and becomes suicidal when he cools their relationship. They both loved each other, but he didn't want to be tied down and forced into making a decision about their relationship.
The most interesting part of the story for me concerned Julians trip to try and track down the Red Army and ended up witnessing a mass execution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2011
Another journey to China. I liked the characters trying to balance between freedom and love. I thought the portraits and internal dialogues were described really well and also otherwise the book is written in a style that is read easily. Quite an enjoyment and another layer of the China mystery is lifted, many many more remaining...
August 20, 2012
beautiful writing, even though I was disappointed that they were not destined to stay together, and after all that love he suddenly despises himself because he realizes he actually is a rascist? its just kind of strange, I was hoping for something different romantic that I am
November 6, 2016
Str. 9- Šele veliko pozneje je odkril, da je vsak od nas posameznik, sestavljen iz množice nasprotij.
Str. 10- Edino sporočilo, ki ga prinaša knjiga, je, da so stereotipi ne le bedasti, temveč da so past, v katero se ujamejo prav tisti, ki jih širijo.
January 15, 2011
Long on unremarkable sex scenes and very short on character development. The main character is a shallow, racist asshole and we're given almost nothing about his lover. Pretty dull stuff.
April 11, 2011
Just kinda weird. I could see the potential, but it didn't really deliver.
August 1, 2011
I wish there were promising works from China.
June 11, 2012
I like this book. I am very interested in the real-life people and events in both the Chinese and the English segments of the literary circle.
Its was very sensual. And i read it twice .
Its was very sensual. And i read it twice .
February 28, 2013
Not your average starcrossed lovers story, it´s filled with magic and lots of passion. With that said, a review of the book is unnecesary.
Read it, passion is more and more scarce this days.
Read it, passion is more and more scarce this days.
May 23, 2015
Couldn't wait to finish !
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