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Khách không mời
Khách không mời là một trong những tác phẩm tiêu biểu của bà. Nội dung truyện xoay quanh nhân vật Đan, một công nhân thất nghiệp, sống với cô vợ Tiểu Mai tại vùng ngoại ô bẩn thỉu của Bắc Kinh. Vận may của Đan đã đến khi anh phát hiện ra có thể được ăn miễn phí đủ món ngon vật lạ trong những bữa tiệc xa hoa bằng cách giả làm nhà báo. Nhưng một bí mật được tiết lộ trong một bữa tiệc đã đưa Đan vào một vụ bê bối của chính phủ. Liệu Đan có theo lương tâm của mình để vạch trần vụ tham nhũng trước khi thân phận giả của anh bại lộ? Và những bữa tiệc xa hoa miễn phí kia, chúng là gì?
“…Ăn miếng đầu tiên, anh không thể nhận ra nó là món gì. Sau khi nhìn thực đơn thì anh bị choáng. Hắn nhìn lên vợ qua làn nước. "Em có đoán được nó làm bằng gì không?"… Món-làm-từ-một-ngàn-cái-đầu-càng-cua, Đan Đông nhấn từng chữ. Một ngàn. Cứ tưởng tượng xem làm thế nào mà người ta có thể tách được những cái càng đó, rồi gỡ thịt ra. Hình dung đến tất cả chỗ thịt cùng một lúc có được từ những cái đầu càng tí xíu của những con vật quái dị, nhỏ bé và khốn khổ kia".
Hắn đợi nàng hỏi xem phải giết bao nhiêu con cua để có được nhiều đầu càng như thế. Nhưng nàng còn đang mải im lặng nhấm nháo sự kinh ngạc ấy.
"Khi gắp miếng thịt đầu càng nhỏ tí ti ấy, đôi đũa của em sẽ run rẩy chỉ chực làm rơi trước khi đưa tới miệng.”
“…Ăn miếng đầu tiên, anh không thể nhận ra nó là món gì. Sau khi nhìn thực đơn thì anh bị choáng. Hắn nhìn lên vợ qua làn nước. "Em có đoán được nó làm bằng gì không?"… Món-làm-từ-một-ngàn-cái-đầu-càng-cua, Đan Đông nhấn từng chữ. Một ngàn. Cứ tưởng tượng xem làm thế nào mà người ta có thể tách được những cái càng đó, rồi gỡ thịt ra. Hình dung đến tất cả chỗ thịt cùng một lúc có được từ những cái đầu càng tí xíu của những con vật quái dị, nhỏ bé và khốn khổ kia".
Hắn đợi nàng hỏi xem phải giết bao nhiêu con cua để có được nhiều đầu càng như thế. Nhưng nàng còn đang mải im lặng nhấm nháo sự kinh ngạc ấy.
"Khi gắp miếng thịt đầu càng nhỏ tí ti ấy, đôi đũa của em sẽ run rẩy chỉ chực làm rơi trước khi đưa tới miệng.”
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
20 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
Geling Yan
83 books231 followersGeling Yan (嚴歌苓) is one of the most acclaimed novelists and screenwriters writing in the Chinese language today and a well-established writer in English. Born in Shanghai, she served with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during the Cultural Revolution, starting at age twelve as a dancer in an entertainment troupe.
After serving for over a decade with the PLA (including tours in Tibet and as a war correspondent during the Sino-Vietnam border conflict), Ms. Yan was discharged with a rank equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel. She published her first novel in 1986 and ever since has produced a steady stream of novels, short stories, novellas, essays and scripts. Her best-known novels in English are The Secret Talker, published by HarperCollins; Little Aunt Crane published in the UK by Random House affiliate Harvill Secker; The Flowers of War, published in the U.S. by The Other Press and elsewhere by Random House's Harvill Secker; The Banquet Bug (The Uninvited in its UK edition - written directly in English); and The Lost Daughter of Happiness, (translated by Cathy Silber) both published by Hyperion in the US and Faber & Faber in the UK. She has also published a novella and short story collection called White Snake and Other Stories, translated by Lawrence A. Walker and published by Aunt Lute Books.
Many of Geling Yan's works have been adapted for film and television, including internationally distributed films Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (directed by Joan Chen) and Siao Yu (directed by Sylvia Chang; produced by Ang Lee). Chinese director Zhang Yimou made The Flowers of War, a big-budget film based on her work set during the 1937 Rape of Nanking, starring Academy Award winning actor Christian Bale; Coming Home 归来, based on her novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi 陆犯焉识, and One Second 一秒钟, also based on that novel.
Ms. Yan has also written numerous scripts based on her own and other authors' work, both in English and Chinese, including a script for a biopic on the iconic Peking opera star Mei Lanfang for director Chen Kaige (released as Forever Enthralled 梅兰芳) starring Leon Lai and Zhang Ziyi. She wrote the script for Dangerous Liaisons 危險關係, a Chinese-language film directed by South Korean director Hur Jin-ho and starring Zhang Ziyi, Jang Dong Gun and Cecilia Cheung. Her novel Fang Hua 芳华 is the basis a film of the same name (English title Youth) directed by Chinese director Feng Xiaogang 冯小刚. Her novel A City Called Macau 妈阁是座城 was made into a film directed by Li Shaohong 李少红, released in 2018.
Geling Yan a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and of France's Société des Gens de Lettres. She is affiliated with the Hollywood screenwriters' union, Writers' Guild of America, west, and is a former member of the Chinese Writers' Association (中国作家协会).
Geling Yan went to the United States at the end of 1989 for graduate study. She holds a Master's in Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Columbia College, Chicago. To date she has published over 40 books in various editions in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US, the UK and elsewhere; has won over 30 literary and film awards; and has had her work adapted or written scripts for numerous film, TV and radio works. Her works have been translated into twenty-one languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Uyghur, and Vietnamese, and her English-language novel The Banquet Bug/The Uninvited was translated into Chinese. She currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
She has been subject to an unofficial but effective ban in China since March 2020, when she wrote and promulgated an essay on the Chinese government's initial handling of COVID-19. Her future Chinese-language work will be published by her own publishing company, New Song Media GmbH.
For non-Chinese language publishing she is represented by Agence Astier-Pécher.
After serving for over a decade with the PLA (including tours in Tibet and as a war correspondent during the Sino-Vietnam border conflict), Ms. Yan was discharged with a rank equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel. She published her first novel in 1986 and ever since has produced a steady stream of novels, short stories, novellas, essays and scripts. Her best-known novels in English are The Secret Talker, published by HarperCollins; Little Aunt Crane published in the UK by Random House affiliate Harvill Secker; The Flowers of War, published in the U.S. by The Other Press and elsewhere by Random House's Harvill Secker; The Banquet Bug (The Uninvited in its UK edition - written directly in English); and The Lost Daughter of Happiness, (translated by Cathy Silber) both published by Hyperion in the US and Faber & Faber in the UK. She has also published a novella and short story collection called White Snake and Other Stories, translated by Lawrence A. Walker and published by Aunt Lute Books.
Many of Geling Yan's works have been adapted for film and television, including internationally distributed films Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (directed by Joan Chen) and Siao Yu (directed by Sylvia Chang; produced by Ang Lee). Chinese director Zhang Yimou made The Flowers of War, a big-budget film based on her work set during the 1937 Rape of Nanking, starring Academy Award winning actor Christian Bale; Coming Home 归来, based on her novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi 陆犯焉识, and One Second 一秒钟, also based on that novel.
Ms. Yan has also written numerous scripts based on her own and other authors' work, both in English and Chinese, including a script for a biopic on the iconic Peking opera star Mei Lanfang for director Chen Kaige (released as Forever Enthralled 梅兰芳) starring Leon Lai and Zhang Ziyi. She wrote the script for Dangerous Liaisons 危險關係, a Chinese-language film directed by South Korean director Hur Jin-ho and starring Zhang Ziyi, Jang Dong Gun and Cecilia Cheung. Her novel Fang Hua 芳华 is the basis a film of the same name (English title Youth) directed by Chinese director Feng Xiaogang 冯小刚. Her novel A City Called Macau 妈阁是座城 was made into a film directed by Li Shaohong 李少红, released in 2018.
Geling Yan a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and of France's Société des Gens de Lettres. She is affiliated with the Hollywood screenwriters' union, Writers' Guild of America, west, and is a former member of the Chinese Writers' Association (中国作家协会).
Geling Yan went to the United States at the end of 1989 for graduate study. She holds a Master's in Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Columbia College, Chicago. To date she has published over 40 books in various editions in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US, the UK and elsewhere; has won over 30 literary and film awards; and has had her work adapted or written scripts for numerous film, TV and radio works. Her works have been translated into twenty-one languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Uyghur, and Vietnamese, and her English-language novel The Banquet Bug/The Uninvited was translated into Chinese. She currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
She has been subject to an unofficial but effective ban in China since March 2020, when she wrote and promulgated an essay on the Chinese government's initial handling of COVID-19. Her future Chinese-language work will be published by her own publishing company, New Song Media GmbH.
For non-Chinese language publishing she is represented by Agence Astier-Pécher.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 18, 2009
Difference of cultures can be felt very well in this book. In what is described and the style of writing.
Dan is unemployed like many other factory workers. He has a normal, not complex life and lives with his wife above the factory where he used to work. When he finds out that by pretending to be a journalist he can get free food and get paid, he starts to go to fancy, sponsored banquets. From then on his simple life changes.
It is a nice story, well written but different. The end dissapoints a bit because the back cover summary promises you something big is going to happen for Dan. Something does happens but it doesn't feel that big and worthwile waiting for as predicted.
Dan is unemployed like many other factory workers. He has a normal, not complex life and lives with his wife above the factory where he used to work. When he finds out that by pretending to be a journalist he can get free food and get paid, he starts to go to fancy, sponsored banquets. From then on his simple life changes.
It is a nice story, well written but different. The end dissapoints a bit because the back cover summary promises you something big is going to happen for Dan. Something does happens but it doesn't feel that big and worthwile waiting for as predicted.
July 13, 2021
I liked the idea but it was kinda dull
August 16, 2009
The book would have earned 4 stars had I based my grading solely on political message and on successful outlining of contemporary urban China and its flaws, but the flimsy dialogs, abundance of completely redundant paragraphs, the irritating main character, pointlessness of some plot lines just don’t do it for me. The cardboard protagonists all appear to be either selfish or spaced-out, or both, and have failed to evoke even a trace of sympathy in me, regardless of their destinies.
Even though it is a smooth, unburdening read (and since it deals with socially hard-to-chew subjects, I can’t really say whether that’s a good thing), perfect for beach or reading while commuting, it’s one of those fleeting experiences that will soon completely fade away.
April 15, 2016
Gelin Yan’s 2006 novel, “The Banquet Bug,” is a quirky fable of an everyman (Dan Dong) who stumbles into the extravagant milieu of banquets, and thus the seedy and corrupt world of the rich and powerful in modern China.
The title refers to those who try to pass themselves off as journalists in order to attend lavish banquets offered by entrepreneurs who hope to bribe positive media coverage by providing grotesquely indulgent events including exotic foods and monetary “gifts.” Dan, an impoverished and unemployed husband living on the fringes of Beijing, knows a good deal when he sees one. Quickly deciding to milk this gravy train for all it’s worth, he creates a phony identity in order to attend more of these lush indulgent affairs. Soon enough, Dan begins to worry about getting caught and the story unfolds from there.
It’s not the plausibility of the plot that highlights this story, however, but rather the manner in which Yan paints a vivid portrait of the vast disparity between the very rich and the very poor and the collusion of the police and government to keep the status quo. Enticing, sensuous descriptions of orgies of exotic foods and the corresponding decadence juxtapose gritty and gut-turning passages of the abject poverty of those outside the swanky hotels and banquet halls.
Dan soon becomes the unwitting savior for the desperate and the downtrodden; those who must drink sewage water and sell their blood to survive. Like her creation Dan Dong, Yan plays the role of exposé journalist in order to shine a light on the ugliness beneath China’s rapid growth. Corruption, inequality, conscience, capitalism, explosive growth, and the battle for one’s soul are all subjects she forces the reader to choke down.
There are times when the language seemed a bit clumsy and I wasn’t sure if I was fully comprehending references or getting the jokes. Additionally, the narrative jumps from one event to another with very little to establish Dan and his pure and wholesome wife Little Plum as genuine characters, thus making this feel overtly allegorical. Then again, this is satire, and it’s powerfully delivered at that.
The title refers to those who try to pass themselves off as journalists in order to attend lavish banquets offered by entrepreneurs who hope to bribe positive media coverage by providing grotesquely indulgent events including exotic foods and monetary “gifts.” Dan, an impoverished and unemployed husband living on the fringes of Beijing, knows a good deal when he sees one. Quickly deciding to milk this gravy train for all it’s worth, he creates a phony identity in order to attend more of these lush indulgent affairs. Soon enough, Dan begins to worry about getting caught and the story unfolds from there.
It’s not the plausibility of the plot that highlights this story, however, but rather the manner in which Yan paints a vivid portrait of the vast disparity between the very rich and the very poor and the collusion of the police and government to keep the status quo. Enticing, sensuous descriptions of orgies of exotic foods and the corresponding decadence juxtapose gritty and gut-turning passages of the abject poverty of those outside the swanky hotels and banquet halls.
Dan soon becomes the unwitting savior for the desperate and the downtrodden; those who must drink sewage water and sell their blood to survive. Like her creation Dan Dong, Yan plays the role of exposé journalist in order to shine a light on the ugliness beneath China’s rapid growth. Corruption, inequality, conscience, capitalism, explosive growth, and the battle for one’s soul are all subjects she forces the reader to choke down.
There are times when the language seemed a bit clumsy and I wasn’t sure if I was fully comprehending references or getting the jokes. Additionally, the narrative jumps from one event to another with very little to establish Dan and his pure and wholesome wife Little Plum as genuine characters, thus making this feel overtly allegorical. Then again, this is satire, and it’s powerfully delivered at that.
January 27, 2012
Written by a Chinese journalist who left after the Tiananmen protest and crackdown, this is a fantastical novel, magical realism without the magic, highly imaginative. To say that it describes corruption and exploitation is like saying Moby Dick is about whaling. A good looking temporary (reserve) laborer finds a boondoggle attending banquets pretending to be a journalist. (This book is also published with the title "The Banquet Bug.") He is married to the most worthy of women but finds sex and sex trade among his escapades, along with art and luxury with a neurotic artist and a corrupt developer, etc., etc. This is a fast-paced, well-written read into which one may impute lessons as one wishes.
April 17, 2014
This book is a knockout! The plot is almost surreal - it reminded me a little of Camus or Beckett. We are never quite sure if something is not real, or simply absurd. Underpinning this is a deeply political and compassionate voice that documents the hard lives of the "country bumpkins" in Beijing the excesses of the new hyper rich, and the endemic corruption at the heart of modern China. This would make a fantastic indie movie - but I doubt the Chinese government would let ever let this story be told over there - let alone filmed.
April 15, 2019
A scathing critique of contemporary China; Yan paints a picture of a nation which has lost some of its communist ideals and is now plagued by deceit, corruption, censorship, incompetence, and a disgusting disparity of wealth, as well as other problems.
May 6, 2011
I read this a couple summers ago. It was the worst piece of shit I have ever read. DO NOT READ IT. The ending was horrible.
March 16, 2019
Earlier this year I tried reading this author's "The Flowers of War" and couldn't even finish it, so I was surprised I enjoyed this one so much. Original, entertaining, and unique.
February 16, 2023
Geling Yan's "The Banquet Bug" is a highly engaging and thought-provoking novel that explores the themes of power, corruption, and desire in contemporary Chinese society. The novel tells the story of Yang Baoping, a chef who rises to fame by creating a highly innovative dish that becomes wildly popular with China's political elite.
Yan's writing is both descriptive and evocative, and her use of language is highly effective in conveying the opulence and decadence of China's elite society. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and the novel is highly effective in exploring the corrupting influence of power and the desire for success.
One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is Yan's ability to create a vivid and compelling portrait of contemporary China, and to explore the complex relationships between individuals, society, and politics. The novel is highly critical of the excesses of China's political elite, and Yan's writing is highly effective in highlighting the tensions between traditional Chinese values and the pursuit of wealth and power.
The novel is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of Yang Baoping's story. The first part, "The Hatching," introduces the characters and sets the stage for the events that follow. The second part, "The Cooking," focuses on the creation of Yang Baoping's innovative dish and his rise to fame. The final part, "The Feast," is a highly charged and intense exploration of the consequences of Yang Baoping's success.
Overall, "The Banquet Bug" is a highly engaging and thought-provoking novel that offers a powerful critique of contemporary Chinese society. Yan's writing is both descriptive and evocative, and her use of language is highly effective in conveying the opulence and decadence of China's elite. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in exploring the complex relationships between power, politics, and desire in contemporary China.
Yan's writing is both descriptive and evocative, and her use of language is highly effective in conveying the opulence and decadence of China's elite society. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and the novel is highly effective in exploring the corrupting influence of power and the desire for success.
One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is Yan's ability to create a vivid and compelling portrait of contemporary China, and to explore the complex relationships between individuals, society, and politics. The novel is highly critical of the excesses of China's political elite, and Yan's writing is highly effective in highlighting the tensions between traditional Chinese values and the pursuit of wealth and power.
The novel is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of Yang Baoping's story. The first part, "The Hatching," introduces the characters and sets the stage for the events that follow. The second part, "The Cooking," focuses on the creation of Yang Baoping's innovative dish and his rise to fame. The final part, "The Feast," is a highly charged and intense exploration of the consequences of Yang Baoping's success.
Overall, "The Banquet Bug" is a highly engaging and thought-provoking novel that offers a powerful critique of contemporary Chinese society. Yan's writing is both descriptive and evocative, and her use of language is highly effective in conveying the opulence and decadence of China's elite. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in exploring the complex relationships between power, politics, and desire in contemporary China.
May 19, 2021
Hành trình đến với cuốn này cũng nhiều chông gai và lắm hiểm trở. Ban đầu Geling Yan xuất hiện trong đầu mình là ở mục Globetrotting của New York Times, mục chuyên tổng hợp những cuốn sách mới xuất bản. Thấy bìa cuốn The Secret Talker hơi tò mò nên cũng đọc description. Tới khi đi mua thì lòi ra dẫu cho lúc đó nó vẫn không nhớ và phải tra goodread tác giả + thấy dịch giả khá tiếng tăm nên đem về. Đến khi đọc xong tra thử trên mạng mới biết tên Việt của Geling Yan là Nghiêm Ca Linh, người viết Kim Lăng Thập Tam Thoa mà Trương Nghệ Mưu chuyển thể những năm trước.
Geling Yan viết khá hay và ấn tượng. Thành công nhất của cuốn này là đã xây dựng được 1 nhân vật bị đẩy đến cùng cực như Đan Đông. Bà đẩy anh vào tường, tuy nghèo phải làm rệp ăn tiệc nhưng vẫn cảm thông với người nông dân bị áp bức, với người nghệ sỹ giả hiệu, với cô gái massage hay nhiều những người khác. Đan Đông là một tâm hồn trong trắng hoàn toàn ở sâu bên trong, đối lập với Tiểu Mai luôn trong trắng ở bên ngoài, 2 người họ là 1 cặp đôi khá lý thú. Ứơc chi bà đi sâu vào Tiểu Mai hơn là các nhân vật khác, dẫu biết dụng ý cũng chỉ làm tôn lên thêm Đan Đông nhưng Tiểu Mai hoàn toàn có đủ sức nặng làm 1 nhân vật đối trọng.
Nhìn chung thì Khách không mời cũng như những cuốn khác khi khắc họa được một Trung Quốc chuyên quyền, độc đoán; mà hơn hết là đẳng cấp phân biệt giàu - nghèo, hối lộ, mua quan bán chức, báo chí dễ dàng mua chuộc... Geling viết sắc, gọn, tinh nhưng còn thiếu nhiều thể nghiệm nếuso với lứa tác gia đồng thời. Đánh giá là nó nằm giữa, vượt thoát khỏi những tiểu thuyết hậu Cách mạng văn hóa, nhưng chưa đến được những thử nghiệm trên cùng.
Geling Yan viết khá hay và ấn tượng. Thành công nhất của cuốn này là đã xây dựng được 1 nhân vật bị đẩy đến cùng cực như Đan Đông. Bà đẩy anh vào tường, tuy nghèo phải làm rệp ăn tiệc nhưng vẫn cảm thông với người nông dân bị áp bức, với người nghệ sỹ giả hiệu, với cô gái massage hay nhiều những người khác. Đan Đông là một tâm hồn trong trắng hoàn toàn ở sâu bên trong, đối lập với Tiểu Mai luôn trong trắng ở bên ngoài, 2 người họ là 1 cặp đôi khá lý thú. Ứơc chi bà đi sâu vào Tiểu Mai hơn là các nhân vật khác, dẫu biết dụng ý cũng chỉ làm tôn lên thêm Đan Đông nhưng Tiểu Mai hoàn toàn có đủ sức nặng làm 1 nhân vật đối trọng.
Nhìn chung thì Khách không mời cũng như những cuốn khác khi khắc họa được một Trung Quốc chuyên quyền, độc đoán; mà hơn hết là đẳng cấp phân biệt giàu - nghèo, hối lộ, mua quan bán chức, báo chí dễ dàng mua chuộc... Geling viết sắc, gọn, tinh nhưng còn thiếu nhiều thể nghiệm nếuso với lứa tác gia đồng thời. Đánh giá là nó nằm giữa, vượt thoát khỏi những tiểu thuyết hậu Cách mạng văn hóa, nhưng chưa đến được những thử nghiệm trên cùng.
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August 19, 2023Although I am not a big enthusiast of fiction, I really enjoy writings by Geling Yan, to such an extend that I "gulped" three of her books at one sitting. This was her first novel that I read, and I loved everything about it: style, characters, plot and most of all angle at which she looked at Chinese society.
I was forced by circumstances to live my life AA style (one day, hour, minute at a time, whatever I could have handled), I hated it, and never considered it normal. But such seem to be a reality for the most of Chinese people described in this book. No ability to plan ahead or be in control, just "flow with the river," take it one step at a time.
Huge disparity of life styles between poorest and richest is really shocking. Also getting 7 years in prison for claiming a "free lunch," where there was none is strange (how about just washing the pots, washrooms and floors in restaurant instead, or picking garbage from the streets, some social service. It gives a very strange image of justice system in China, which brings to my mind what happens to black people in USA.
This way, or other, it's a very interesting book, and I highly recommend it.
I was forced by circumstances to live my life AA style (one day, hour, minute at a time, whatever I could have handled), I hated it, and never considered it normal. But such seem to be a reality for the most of Chinese people described in this book. No ability to plan ahead or be in control, just "flow with the river," take it one step at a time.
Huge disparity of life styles between poorest and richest is really shocking. Also getting 7 years in prison for claiming a "free lunch," where there was none is strange (how about just washing the pots, washrooms and floors in restaurant instead, or picking garbage from the streets, some social service. It gives a very strange image of justice system in China, which brings to my mind what happens to black people in USA.
This way, or other, it's a very interesting book, and I highly recommend it.
May 9, 2019
I really struggled with this book. I think I attempted to read it a while ago and gave up so this time I was determined to complete it. The problem I had is that I could not relate or sympathise with any of the characters. Dan, the star, seems to be quite intelligent but he has no resilience or confidence so he is washed along the story without having any real input into the direction the story or his life flows. He seems to accept absolutely everything people tell him and he always seems to be a step away from disaster. Little Plum is a doormat who is happy because she knows no better. Happy is an aggressive extrovert who bosses Dan around even though Dan can't stand her. For goodness sake Dan, stop talking to her! The story line builds up to a promise but never delivers on that promise; the ending is odd (taken to a talk show the day after he is arrested) and the mood is flat.
March 6, 2019
Some of the funniest satire I've read, even if it wasn't especially "effective". Memorable characters (Little Plum especially) who are almost real people (unlike many in this genre) and react to events in an almost-real way, so that we're always on the edge of fantasy but never complete submerged. I couldn't predict the plot's twists and turns, nor the wonderfully effective ending (why did so many other reviewers dislike it? It was perfect!).
As a bonus, the book contains some of the best food writing I can remember reading, thanks to the protagonist's humble background and constant gratitude for his temporary fortune -- neither flavor nor texture is ever taken for granted.
As a bonus, the book contains some of the best food writing I can remember reading, thanks to the protagonist's humble background and constant gratitude for his temporary fortune -- neither flavor nor texture is ever taken for granted.
August 15, 2022
Khách không mời - mặt tối của một xã hội phân hoá giàu nghèo…
Lần thứ hai mình drop một quyển sách. Khác với lần trước vì nội dung khá chán, lần này mình quyết định không đọc tiếp nữa dù đã đọc được hơn 1/2 chặng đường vì phần lớn nội dung mà nó truyền tải khá khó hiểu - cả về cách viết và những giá trị nhân văn.
Dù thế, len lỏi trong những dòng văn ấy mình vẫn cảm nhận được một xã hội Trung Quốc đầy rẫy những loại tệ nạn như mua bán chức vị hay phân biệt đẳng cấp giàu nghèo.
Có lẽ vì bản thân mình chưa hiểu hết về nền văn hoá nước họ, nên mình chưa thể thấm nhuần những giá trị mà nó truyền tải.
Lần thứ hai mình drop một quyển sách. Khác với lần trước vì nội dung khá chán, lần này mình quyết định không đọc tiếp nữa dù đã đọc được hơn 1/2 chặng đường vì phần lớn nội dung mà nó truyền tải khá khó hiểu - cả về cách viết và những giá trị nhân văn.
Dù thế, len lỏi trong những dòng văn ấy mình vẫn cảm nhận được một xã hội Trung Quốc đầy rẫy những loại tệ nạn như mua bán chức vị hay phân biệt đẳng cấp giàu nghèo.
Có lẽ vì bản thân mình chưa hiểu hết về nền văn hoá nước họ, nên mình chưa thể thấm nhuần những giá trị mà nó truyền tải.
August 27, 2018
Zajímavý román ze současné Číny o moci a korupci. Přiznám, že se mi to četlo těžko. Story samotná je jasná, ale přeci jen je to pro nás hodně odlišná kultura a já nikdy dřív moderní čínský román nečetl, jen některá klasická díla. Styl vyprávění je dost poetický, neumím posoudit, jestli je to čínský způsob psaní, nebo autorův rukopis, což mě občas mátlo, že čtu nějakou pohádku, fantasy, jen ne popis současnosti. Ale plus je určitě možnost nakouknout, jak se v Číně žije.
October 4, 2018
تظهر مهاره الكاتب حين يستطيع تحويل الحياه العاديه لشخص ممل لا يملك شيئا يذكر بجانب غبائه الى حبكه غايه فالسلاسه واثاره للاهتمام !
تدور احداث القصه في الصين حيث ينخرط البطل (دان دونج) مصادفه في مهنه (متذوق ولائم) لاجل كتابه مقالات عنها في الجرائد و يصف لنا ثقافه البلد وتراثه من خلال مشاهد خصبه بالالوان والروائح . بالرغم من بساطه البطل وخلفيته القرويه الا ان الكاتب ناقش من خلاله قضايا سياسيه ، اجتماعيه ، واقتصاديه باسلوب غايه في الذكاء .
تستحق القرآءه !
تدور احداث القصه في الصين حيث ينخرط البطل (دان دونج) مصادفه في مهنه (متذوق ولائم) لاجل كتابه مقالات عنها في الجرائد و يصف لنا ثقافه البلد وتراثه من خلال مشاهد خصبه بالالوان والروائح . بالرغم من بساطه البطل وخلفيته القرويه الا ان الكاتب ناقش من خلاله قضايا سياسيه ، اجتماعيه ، واقتصاديه باسلوب غايه في الذكاء .
تستحق القرآءه !
June 7, 2020
This was a very interesting read, even if a little hard to get through. I didn't enjoy it as much as Geling Yan's other novels, but I found the story and the relationships that unfolded throughout really unusual and quirky. It is quite ironic and humorous in places. It kind of reminded me of a contemporary Chinese version of `A Diary of a Nobody'.
Read
June 30, 2021Mostly wondered how many journalistic anecdotes came from Geling Yan’s own experience. There were some really delicious bits of phrasing throughout (a couple awkward ones too). It was more meandering than I expected; major characters and situations that initially felt designed to provide character-defining subplots faded out by the end. But that’s futility for ya
December 28, 2021
Được viết khá tốt với ý tưởng tương đối lạ và rất đời thực. Tuy nhiên, một điểm yếu chí mạng của q này đó chính là sự rời rạc ngay cả tính cách nhân vật lẫn cốt truyện. Cộng thêm cảm nhân cá nhân về cái kết....khiến mình hơi quạu thật sự...
Tuy vậy vẫn khen tác giả khi bóc trần được hàng lọt thói hư, tính đạo đức giả và tàn nhẫn của những lớp người thời đại.
Tuy vậy vẫn khen tác giả khi bóc trần được hàng lọt thói hư, tính đạo đức giả và tàn nhẫn của những lớp người thời đại.
July 18, 2024
Tinka: A light, yet masterfully executed novel of the life of a construction worker that assumes a shadow life in Beijing.
My favorite part of the book was the writing style: humorous, yet painful description of the poverty in which the masses live, against the opulence of deceits of the ruling class.
My favorite part of the book was the writing style: humorous, yet painful description of the poverty in which the masses live, against the opulence of deceits of the ruling class.
September 21, 2018
Interesting story and quirky characters. I never connected to any of the characters so being involved in the book was difficult. The story was the same and didn't seem to develop or change, it was the same thing over and over. Just a different book.
November 23, 2019
A strange book exploring ingrained corruption, exploitation and deceit. In a multi-layered society where everyone is pretending to be someone they’re not, who is anyone? who is really fooling who? and who really cares? Unfortunately I didn’t.
August 12, 2021
Language is such a mirror of fun. When Chinese of that generation starts to write Anglophone storeis in a surrealist way, to expose a Chinese soceity in their imaginiations, it always turns out so Oriental.
January 7, 2019
Príliš dlhé, musela som sa nútiť dočítať ju až do konca.
October 20, 2020
People who knew and have experienced dan's struggle could only, deeply appreciate this. Yun na yun sizzz!!!
July 30, 2021
An interesting premise for sure but the book felt flat and it never really picked up.
April 7, 2024
Bánh cuốn ra phết
August 12, 2012
The back cover blurb of this book (also published as The Banquet Bug gives the impression that this is a quirky nailbiter of a thriller, which it definitely is not. Quirky, yes. A great concept: a poor, unemployed worker accidentally discovers that by posing as a journalist he can eat free at lavish banquets several days a week. Though trying to keep his head down, he gradually becomes entangled with ruthlessly ambitious real journalists, prominent artists, property tycoons and relatives of high-ranking officials. It could have been the basis for a thriller, as the blurb shamelessly implies, involving state secrets and a lone hero in jeaopordy.
What actually happens is that the main character, Dan Dong, is reluctantly swept into a complex tapestry of relationships in which everyone is using everyone else to their own advantage. The real theme of the novel is false identity--the lies that all people present to further their desires, from lowly farmers and massage girls to the highest echelons of business and politics. Most people around Dan are so myopically focused on their own goals that in the end we feel betrayed by even the characters we originally sympathize. Dan himself is such a nebbish, allowing himself to be manipulated at every turn, that I had to strain to like him. His main accomplices have little depth, and the more we get to know them, the more contemptible they become. This is probably an accurate portrayal, but it is sometimes hard to keep reading as a result.
Nevertheless, this is a unique and well-written social satire of one facet of the corruption that pervades contemporary China. It could almost take place as easily in Washington, Moscow, Brussels or London.
What actually happens is that the main character, Dan Dong, is reluctantly swept into a complex tapestry of relationships in which everyone is using everyone else to their own advantage. The real theme of the novel is false identity--the lies that all people present to further their desires, from lowly farmers and massage girls to the highest echelons of business and politics. Most people around Dan are so myopically focused on their own goals that in the end we feel betrayed by even the characters we originally sympathize. Dan himself is such a nebbish, allowing himself to be manipulated at every turn, that I had to strain to like him. His main accomplices have little depth, and the more we get to know them, the more contemptible they become. This is probably an accurate portrayal, but it is sometimes hard to keep reading as a result.
Nevertheless, this is a unique and well-written social satire of one facet of the corruption that pervades contemporary China. It could almost take place as easily in Washington, Moscow, Brussels or London.
October 29, 2012
"The Banquet Bug" is an entertaining read about a Chinese peasant who has become and out of work factory worker in Beijing. He discovers the world of being a banquet bug- posing as a journalist to attend the city's many fancy banquets for free, and receive "something for his troubles" also known as money. Apparently this is really a regular practice in China, that journalists are invited to banquets, fed and paid to keep the well oiled machinery of corrupt Beijing running smoothly.
Dan Dong and the story ambled along, reminding me of "A Confederacy of Dunces". Dan is no slob living off his crackpot mother, but he is a man in search of money and an easy way to get it. In this quest, he fumbles and stumbles his way into spectacular situations, with his moral compass sometimes working and at times totally absent. I thought it was an entertaining read.
Dan Dong and the story ambled along, reminding me of "A Confederacy of Dunces". Dan is no slob living off his crackpot mother, but he is a man in search of money and an easy way to get it. In this quest, he fumbles and stumbles his way into spectacular situations, with his moral compass sometimes working and at times totally absent. I thought it was an entertaining read.
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