What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Quarter of the Moon: A Novel
The North American debut of one of China’s most celebrated authors, “Chi Zijian’s beautifully realised novel offers a detailed portrait of a way of life hard to imagine today” (The Independent).
At the end of the twentieth century, an intergenerational Indigenous family of the Evenki tribe living deep in the forested mountains of China’s eastern edge encounters existential change. An elder spins the daily tales of community drama against the fray of Chinese, Japanese, and Russian nation-building and resource extraction. As our narrator’s world is forced to the margins of empire and industrialization, her abiding and tender attention to her people’s core relationships—human, animal, spiritual, environmental—becomes itself an act of resistance.
In Bruce Humes’s inspired translation, acclaimed author Chi Zijian gives us an unabashedly intimate account of how an entire culture can be pushed to the vanishing point over the course of one lifetime. Through distinctive pace and slowness, the book renders an Evenki experience of interdependence and reciprocity with the natural world, where wilderness is infused with domestic life and spiritual intervention. From reindeer herding and ice fishing, to Shamanic songs and rites, to tallies of marriages, births, and deaths, this nomadic clan contends with preserving traditions and legacy alongside the threat of progress and displacement.
This essential addition to the Seedbank series shows real lives that don’t conform to the march of modernization, speaking profoundly to real endangerment of Indigenous communities and knowledge across the world. “When I look again at the fawn that is nearer and nearer to us, it feels as if the pale-white crescent has fallen to the ground,” our narrator concludes. “I’m crying, because I can no longer distinguish between heaven and earth.”
This epic, internationally recognized work humbly challenges us to see that all is shared and interconnected—joy and loss, creatures and peoples, the material and the magical..
At the end of the twentieth century, an intergenerational Indigenous family of the Evenki tribe living deep in the forested mountains of China’s eastern edge encounters existential change. An elder spins the daily tales of community drama against the fray of Chinese, Japanese, and Russian nation-building and resource extraction. As our narrator’s world is forced to the margins of empire and industrialization, her abiding and tender attention to her people’s core relationships—human, animal, spiritual, environmental—becomes itself an act of resistance.
In Bruce Humes’s inspired translation, acclaimed author Chi Zijian gives us an unabashedly intimate account of how an entire culture can be pushed to the vanishing point over the course of one lifetime. Through distinctive pace and slowness, the book renders an Evenki experience of interdependence and reciprocity with the natural world, where wilderness is infused with domestic life and spiritual intervention. From reindeer herding and ice fishing, to Shamanic songs and rites, to tallies of marriages, births, and deaths, this nomadic clan contends with preserving traditions and legacy alongside the threat of progress and displacement.
This essential addition to the Seedbank series shows real lives that don’t conform to the march of modernization, speaking profoundly to real endangerment of Indigenous communities and knowledge across the world. “When I look again at the fawn that is nearer and nearer to us, it feels as if the pale-white crescent has fallen to the ground,” our narrator concludes. “I’m crying, because I can no longer distinguish between heaven and earth.”
This epic, internationally recognized work humbly challenges us to see that all is shared and interconnected—joy and loss, creatures and peoples, the material and the magical..
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
March 24, 2022
Vaihdoin joskus muutaman sähköpostin suomentaja Rauno Sainion kanssa, kun olin valitellut kiinasta käännetyn kirjallisuuden olevan kovin paljolti miehiä muistelemassa Kulttuurivallankumousta. Sainio lupasi silloin, että muutakin on luvassa ja tässä sitä nyt sitten on. Puolikuun on kirjoittanut nainen ja se käy läpi aivan toisenlaista historiaa.
Chi Zijian (s. 1964) on kotoisin Heilongjiangin maakunnasta, joka on Kiinan pohjoisin maakunta, kaukana koillisessa Mantšuriassa Venäjän rajalla. Näille seuduille Puolikuukin sijoittuu. Kirjan kehyskertomuksessa vanha evenkinainen muistelee elämäänsä. Kertomuksesta piirtyy kuva koko 1900-luvusta näiden syrjäisten seutujen asukkaiden näkökulmasta.
Evenkit ovat paimentolaiskansa, jotka ovat asuttaneet Venäjän ja Kiinan rajalla kulkevan Amur-joen ja etenkin sen latvajoen Argunin rantoja. Kirjassa kuvatut evenkit ovat poronhoitajia kuten saamelaisetkin, mutta evenkien elämäntapa eroaa jonkun verran saamelaisista. Evenkit eivät esimerkiksi syö poronlihaa, mutta käyttävät poroja ratsuina.
1900-luvun alussa evenkit elivät omaa paimentolaiselämäänsä kaikessa rauhassaan, mutta eihän ympäröivä maailma ketään Siperian perimmäisissä kolkissakaan jätä rauhaan. Yhteyksiä muuhun maailmaan on venäläisten kulkukauppiaiden muodossa jo aikaisemmin, mutta isommin maailma tulee evenkien luokse viimeistään 1930-luvulla, kun Japani valloittaa Mantšurian ja perustaa alueelle oman Mantšukuon nukkevaltion. Japanilaiset tulevat vaatimaan kylän miehiä sotilaskoulutukseen ja siitä alkaa paimentolaisten vapaan elämäntavan loppu. Japanilaiset karkoitetaan, mutta Neuvostoliitolla ja Kiinalla on aluetta kohtaan oma mielenkiintonsa ja evenkit halutaan lopulta sulauttaa osaksi kiinalaista yhteiskuntaa.
Tätä kehitystä nimettömäksi jäävä kertoja, evenkien viimeisen heimopäällikön vaimo, kertomuksessaan kuvaa. Kehyskertomus tapahtuu jossain 1990-luvulla, kun evenkit halutaan siirtää asumaan kaupunkiin. Valtaosa heimosta lähtee, mutta kertoja jää: hän ei ole koskaan asunut muussa asumuksessa kuin kodassa, eikä aio asuakaan. Hänellä on äidiltä peritty tuli, joka ei ole koskaan sammunut, kodan savuaukosta näkyvät tähdet ja ympärillä luonto ja porot.
Puolikuussa ei ole varsinaisesti mitään juonta. Se on tavallaan sukukronikka, jossa kuvataan pienelle kyläyhteisölle tapahtuvia asioita, ja toisaalta antropologinen kertomus, joka dokumentoi tämän evenkiyhteisön tapoja ja elämää. Kyläläisten elämään mahtuu kaikenlaista; elämä paimentolaisena voi olla vapaata, mutta on se myös kovaa. Lapsikuolleisuus esimerkiksi on melko karmivaa. Traagisimpana piirtyy šamaaniksi nousevan Nihaun elämäntarina.
Chi Zijian kuvaa rajaseutujen jylhää luontoa kauniisti. Evenkien luontoyhteys näyttäytyy herkkänä ja kevyenä, etenkin verrattuna siihen, kun Kiina alkaa kohdistaa huomiotaan alueen resursseihin. Luonnon kovakouraisemmasta hyväksikäytöstä seuraava luontokato estäisi evenkien perinteisen elämäntavan, vaikka evenkejä ei muutenkin yritettäisi estää elämästä omanlaistaan elämää. On hyvä, että tätä perinteistä elämäntapaa on kirjattu muistiin tällaisessa muodossa ennen kuin se häviää kokonaan.
Rauno Sainio on tehnyt suomentajana hienoa työtä. Mukavasti kirjan loppuun on lisätty muutaman sivun suomentajan jälkipuhe, jossa Sainio avaa etenkin romaanin nimistöön liittyviä ongelmia. Monien henkilöiden nimet ovat venäläisiä ja kiinalaiset transkriptiokäytännöt ovat tehneet tulkitsemisesta työläitä. Poronhoitosanastoon Sainio on sentään saanut hyviä vastineita saamelaisesta kulttuurista.
Chi Zijian (s. 1964) on kotoisin Heilongjiangin maakunnasta, joka on Kiinan pohjoisin maakunta, kaukana koillisessa Mantšuriassa Venäjän rajalla. Näille seuduille Puolikuukin sijoittuu. Kirjan kehyskertomuksessa vanha evenkinainen muistelee elämäänsä. Kertomuksesta piirtyy kuva koko 1900-luvusta näiden syrjäisten seutujen asukkaiden näkökulmasta.
Evenkit ovat paimentolaiskansa, jotka ovat asuttaneet Venäjän ja Kiinan rajalla kulkevan Amur-joen ja etenkin sen latvajoen Argunin rantoja. Kirjassa kuvatut evenkit ovat poronhoitajia kuten saamelaisetkin, mutta evenkien elämäntapa eroaa jonkun verran saamelaisista. Evenkit eivät esimerkiksi syö poronlihaa, mutta käyttävät poroja ratsuina.
1900-luvun alussa evenkit elivät omaa paimentolaiselämäänsä kaikessa rauhassaan, mutta eihän ympäröivä maailma ketään Siperian perimmäisissä kolkissakaan jätä rauhaan. Yhteyksiä muuhun maailmaan on venäläisten kulkukauppiaiden muodossa jo aikaisemmin, mutta isommin maailma tulee evenkien luokse viimeistään 1930-luvulla, kun Japani valloittaa Mantšurian ja perustaa alueelle oman Mantšukuon nukkevaltion. Japanilaiset tulevat vaatimaan kylän miehiä sotilaskoulutukseen ja siitä alkaa paimentolaisten vapaan elämäntavan loppu. Japanilaiset karkoitetaan, mutta Neuvostoliitolla ja Kiinalla on aluetta kohtaan oma mielenkiintonsa ja evenkit halutaan lopulta sulauttaa osaksi kiinalaista yhteiskuntaa.
Tätä kehitystä nimettömäksi jäävä kertoja, evenkien viimeisen heimopäällikön vaimo, kertomuksessaan kuvaa. Kehyskertomus tapahtuu jossain 1990-luvulla, kun evenkit halutaan siirtää asumaan kaupunkiin. Valtaosa heimosta lähtee, mutta kertoja jää: hän ei ole koskaan asunut muussa asumuksessa kuin kodassa, eikä aio asuakaan. Hänellä on äidiltä peritty tuli, joka ei ole koskaan sammunut, kodan savuaukosta näkyvät tähdet ja ympärillä luonto ja porot.
Puolikuussa ei ole varsinaisesti mitään juonta. Se on tavallaan sukukronikka, jossa kuvataan pienelle kyläyhteisölle tapahtuvia asioita, ja toisaalta antropologinen kertomus, joka dokumentoi tämän evenkiyhteisön tapoja ja elämää. Kyläläisten elämään mahtuu kaikenlaista; elämä paimentolaisena voi olla vapaata, mutta on se myös kovaa. Lapsikuolleisuus esimerkiksi on melko karmivaa. Traagisimpana piirtyy šamaaniksi nousevan Nihaun elämäntarina.
Chi Zijian kuvaa rajaseutujen jylhää luontoa kauniisti. Evenkien luontoyhteys näyttäytyy herkkänä ja kevyenä, etenkin verrattuna siihen, kun Kiina alkaa kohdistaa huomiotaan alueen resursseihin. Luonnon kovakouraisemmasta hyväksikäytöstä seuraava luontokato estäisi evenkien perinteisen elämäntavan, vaikka evenkejä ei muutenkin yritettäisi estää elämästä omanlaistaan elämää. On hyvä, että tätä perinteistä elämäntapaa on kirjattu muistiin tällaisessa muodossa ennen kuin se häviää kokonaan.
Minut on haudattava puuhun, tuuleen. Ainoa ongelma on, että neljän keskenään sopivasti sijoittuneen puun löytäminen on tätä nykyä helpommin sanottu kuin tehty.
Rauno Sainio on tehnyt suomentajana hienoa työtä. Mukavasti kirjan loppuun on lisätty muutaman sivun suomentajan jälkipuhe, jossa Sainio avaa etenkin romaanin nimistöön liittyviä ongelmia. Monien henkilöiden nimet ovat venäläisiä ja kiinalaiset transkriptiokäytännöt ovat tehneet tulkitsemisesta työläitä. Poronhoitosanastoon Sainio on sentään saanut hyviä vastineita saamelaisesta kulttuurista.
May 21, 2021
This was a very unique read about a little-known nomadic tribe called Evenki who are hunters and reindeer-herders living in the northern part of Inner Mongolia.
Through the eyes of an old woman, the bitter-sweet everyday life story of five generations of her clan unfolds in the time line spanning the 20th century. Descriptions of the wilderness scenery, of nature at its most charming and most cruel, of Evenki rituals and shamanic customs are interwoven with emotive relationships and interactions of the clan members as they gradually move away from their habitual and carefree nomadic lifestyle to one imposed on them by external forces like the Japanese occupation, the Chinese lumber trade and modernization.
The writing is plain (the novel is a translation) but the stringing of words moves you to the core. The tone is calm and quiet throughout, yet it tugs at your heartstrings.
Through the eyes of an old woman, the bitter-sweet everyday life story of five generations of her clan unfolds in the time line spanning the 20th century. Descriptions of the wilderness scenery, of nature at its most charming and most cruel, of Evenki rituals and shamanic customs are interwoven with emotive relationships and interactions of the clan members as they gradually move away from their habitual and carefree nomadic lifestyle to one imposed on them by external forces like the Japanese occupation, the Chinese lumber trade and modernization.
The writing is plain (the novel is a translation) but the stringing of words moves you to the core. The tone is calm and quiet throughout, yet it tugs at your heartstrings.
October 12, 2018
It was only late in the day I began to reach for five stars. Somehow it is a slow work, in spite of a certain brevity in story-telling, which it imitates from folk tales.
The author is Han, from China's northernmost province that abuts on or subsumes the grounds of indigenous peoples. Over the course of this novel, Chinese, Russian and Japanese state interests and individuals impinge on the life of the Evenki. By no means always hostile, but steadily deleterious. Several reviews say the book is grim, but I think this encroachment might have been told more savagely than it is. As for the number of deaths -- truly Shakespearean -- our narrator is a woman in old age, and she has the exhaustless array of forest accidents to recall.
The beauty crept up on me. Late in the piece I noticed I was being mugged by Evenki metaphors, songs, observations and succinct word pictures of the taiga -- on the 'Right Bank of the Argun', in the original Chinese title, in the Greater Khingan Mountain Range. The stories, too, work by accumulation, peoples' lives in sequence, with a subtle interweave of forecast and backsight. They are told in a key of realism, but on the other hand the shamanist universe Evenki believe in is real, so that one of the most affecting stories is of a woman called on to save others by her shaman dances, at the inevitable cost of loved ones of her own.
This review on a Chinese site gives an idea of what conditions the author told her story of the Evenki under, and also mentions which tales followed those of real people:
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/08/08...
The author is Han, from China's northernmost province that abuts on or subsumes the grounds of indigenous peoples. Over the course of this novel, Chinese, Russian and Japanese state interests and individuals impinge on the life of the Evenki. By no means always hostile, but steadily deleterious. Several reviews say the book is grim, but I think this encroachment might have been told more savagely than it is. As for the number of deaths -- truly Shakespearean -- our narrator is a woman in old age, and she has the exhaustless array of forest accidents to recall.
The beauty crept up on me. Late in the piece I noticed I was being mugged by Evenki metaphors, songs, observations and succinct word pictures of the taiga -- on the 'Right Bank of the Argun', in the original Chinese title, in the Greater Khingan Mountain Range. The stories, too, work by accumulation, peoples' lives in sequence, with a subtle interweave of forecast and backsight. They are told in a key of realism, but on the other hand the shamanist universe Evenki believe in is real, so that one of the most affecting stories is of a woman called on to save others by her shaman dances, at the inevitable cost of loved ones of her own.
This review on a Chinese site gives an idea of what conditions the author told her story of the Evenki under, and also mentions which tales followed those of real people:
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/08/08...
Want to Read
April 24, 2021I translated this novel, so I am not going to rate it!
I should note that the editor made few substantive alterations to my manuscript, so if you enjoy the book -- or don't -- that is down to the Chinese author tale and my interpretation of it . . .
I should note that the editor made few substantive alterations to my manuscript, so if you enjoy the book -- or don't -- that is down to the Chinese author tale and my interpretation of it . . .
July 20, 2022
As someone from a similar ethnic group which also originated around the Amur (Argun) river who has never lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle with reindeer, I found this book to be a small window into some of the more forgotten practices and traditions of a Tungusic people group. The writing is lyrical and the relationships are emotive, showing both human nature and the natural world at its most beautiful and most ruthless states.
With that being said, the author is Han. Though she grew up and still lives in the area in which this story is set, she remains an outsider to these traditions. I feel that in parts, she doesn't do our beautiful culture justice with the constant use of sinicisms and the occasionally ethnic stereotypes such as portraying many of the Evenks as alcoholics and even one as a criminal.
I firmly believe that this book is worth a read, taking its relatively minor issues into account. It's beautiful, poetic and harrowing and is unlike anything you've read before and will read in the the future.
With that being said, the author is Han. Though she grew up and still lives in the area in which this story is set, she remains an outsider to these traditions. I feel that in parts, she doesn't do our beautiful culture justice with the constant use of sinicisms and the occasionally ethnic stereotypes such as portraying many of the Evenks as alcoholics and even one as a criminal.
I firmly believe that this book is worth a read, taking its relatively minor issues into account. It's beautiful, poetic and harrowing and is unlike anything you've read before and will read in the the future.
March 2, 2021
Kimden nerden heveslendim aldım hiç bilmiyorum ama kendime afferim.
Kitabın konusu, anlatımı, kurgusu, derdi herşeyiyle puanım yüksek. Kitapla ilgili tk derdim çevirisi, redaksiyonu, editöryal hataları ki bu yayınevinden çok severek nice okuma yaptım,böylesi hatalara rastlamadım. Daha ilk sayfada baskıda hata ile okumaya başladığımdan mıdır nedir memnun etmedi.
Kitaba gelirseeem. Şahsen dünya üzerinde hangi coğrafya olursa olsun insan evladının üç aşağı beş yukarı hep benzer bir yaşam sistemi içinde olduğuna inanıyorum. Zamanla tercih ve şartlara göre bazı eğilip bükülmeler elbet olmuşsa da Çin'in uzak bir köyü ile Güney doğuda bir köydeki ailenin derdi öyle çok farketmiyor.
Özellikle, kuşaklar arası akan, kurgunun merkezinde aynı aileyi kuşaklar boyunca okumayı seviyorsanız, söz gelimi Marquez'in Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık ya da Mo Yan 'ın Yaşam ve ölüm Yorgunu kitapları gibi hah iştr o vakit 2008 Çin Mo Dun Edebiyat Ödülü sahibi bu kitabı da severek okuyacağınızdan eminim.
Umarım ki yeni baskılarda redaksiyon hataları yok edilmiştir, keyifli okumalar 🌼
..
..
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #bookstagram #2021okumalarım #neokudum #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #çinedebiyatı #ayınsonçeyreği #chizijian #dedaluskitap #çevirikitaplar #ödüllükitaplar
Kitabın konusu, anlatımı, kurgusu, derdi herşeyiyle puanım yüksek. Kitapla ilgili tk derdim çevirisi, redaksiyonu, editöryal hataları ki bu yayınevinden çok severek nice okuma yaptım,böylesi hatalara rastlamadım. Daha ilk sayfada baskıda hata ile okumaya başladığımdan mıdır nedir memnun etmedi.
Kitaba gelirseeem. Şahsen dünya üzerinde hangi coğrafya olursa olsun insan evladının üç aşağı beş yukarı hep benzer bir yaşam sistemi içinde olduğuna inanıyorum. Zamanla tercih ve şartlara göre bazı eğilip bükülmeler elbet olmuşsa da Çin'in uzak bir köyü ile Güney doğuda bir köydeki ailenin derdi öyle çok farketmiyor.
Özellikle, kuşaklar arası akan, kurgunun merkezinde aynı aileyi kuşaklar boyunca okumayı seviyorsanız, söz gelimi Marquez'in Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık ya da Mo Yan 'ın Yaşam ve ölüm Yorgunu kitapları gibi hah iştr o vakit 2008 Çin Mo Dun Edebiyat Ödülü sahibi bu kitabı da severek okuyacağınızdan eminim.
Umarım ki yeni baskılarda redaksiyon hataları yok edilmiştir, keyifli okumalar 🌼
..
..
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #bookstagram #2021okumalarım #neokudum #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #çinedebiyatı #ayınsonçeyreği #chizijian #dedaluskitap #çevirikitaplar #ödüllükitaplar
March 30, 2018
ربما يمكن اختصار الرواية في تلك الجملة منها
"لقد حكيت الكثير والكثير من قصص الموت، وهذا ليس بيدي، فكل نفس ذائقة الموت، فالجميع يأتي من المكان نفسه وبالطريقة نفسها، ولكن عند الرحيل يتفرد كل شخص بطريقة رحيله."
لم اقرأ مائة عام من العزلة لكن أعرف الخطوط العريضة لها، ومع ذلك لا أستطيع مقارنتها بشكل كامل بها.
الرواية من النوع ذو الإيقاع البطيء ولكنه لا يخلو من الأحداث.. ومرة أخرى فهي ليس بها نهاية سعيدة، ليس لأغلب الشخصيات وعليه فهي رواية كئيبة وربما وجب التحذير لمن لا يحب ذلك النوع من الروايات.
الترجمة كانت جيدة، إلا من أخطاء إملائية قليلة، والخلط بين شخصيتين في مقطع واحد، ربما يغفر لذلك كون الاسمان لا يختلفان سوى في الحرف الأول فقط.
"لقد حكيت الكثير والكثير من قصص الموت، وهذا ليس بيدي، فكل نفس ذائقة الموت، فالجميع يأتي من المكان نفسه وبالطريقة نفسها، ولكن عند الرحيل يتفرد كل شخص بطريقة رحيله."
لم اقرأ مائة عام من العزلة لكن أعرف الخطوط العريضة لها، ومع ذلك لا أستطيع مقارنتها بشكل كامل بها.
الرواية من النوع ذو الإيقاع البطيء ولكنه لا يخلو من الأحداث.. ومرة أخرى فهي ليس بها نهاية سعيدة، ليس لأغلب الشخصيات وعليه فهي رواية كئيبة وربما وجب التحذير لمن لا يحب ذلك النوع من الروايات.
الترجمة كانت جيدة، إلا من أخطاء إملائية قليلة، والخلط بين شخصيتين في مقطع واحد، ربما يغفر لذلك كون الاسمان لا يختلفان سوى في الحرف الأول فقط.
February 25, 2018
A very slow, slice of days story, but I did enjoyed it, and the language is very poetic.
I should read the Chinese version someday, but I think the English translation is good too. However, there are some Chinese concept translated directly from pronunciation, which made the words lost its meaning.
I should read the Chinese version someday, but I think the English translation is good too. However, there are some Chinese concept translated directly from pronunciation, which made the words lost its meaning.
April 22, 2020
قبل عامين من الآن، وقفت عند دار نشر لا أعرفها وطلبت من البائع أن يرشح لي كتابا.
أمسك بهذه الرواية وقال إنها تعتبر مائة عام من العزلة الصينية، وما إن سمعت كلامه حتى أضمرت سرا أن تكون ضمن مقتنياتي لأني أعرف أن مائة عام من العزلة رواية عظيمة -رغم أني لم أقرأها بعد😆،ولا أدري ما الذي يمنعني- ، ولأنها مترجمة عن الصينية ولم يسبق لي أن أقرأ أي شيء من الأدب الصيني.
ويا للمفاجأة ركنتها عامين في عزلة -جنت على نفسها- ولم أفتحها ولا أدري لم تذكرتها مؤخرا.
لا أخفي أنني واجهت صعوبة في التأقلم مع جو الرواية وإنها استغرقتني وقتا أطول مما اعتدته لقراءة رواية، الأسماء جديدة وعاداتهم مختلفة وكل شيء فيها مختلف.
ولعل اختلافها هو ما جعلني أستمتع فيها وأعتبر نفسي في رحلة مختلفة، رحلة لمجهول لم أجربه من قبل. الجبال الصينية وعائلة إينيكويه اللي تعد عائلة بدوية صينية تنتقل من مكان لآخر، وبدلا من نقل الأغنام معهم ينقلون الغزلان.
الغزلان، لا تدرون كم هو لطيف حبهم للغزلان، وصل حبهم لها لدرجة القداسة. الرواية تبعدك عن المدينة عن الأشياء التي اعتدت عليها تحملك لأحضان الطبيعة، ترى فيه بشرا مختلفين، لم يتعلموا في المدارس ولكن كانوا يستقون دروسهم من الطبيعة وجمالها الساحر.
الرواية تحمل الكثير والكثير من المشاعر وهي أشبه بسيرة ذاتية تحكيها بطلة القصة، لن تجد حبكةً مرسومة لكن الرواية ممتعة وغنية بما فيها.
كانت تجربةً مختلفة كما تخيلتها أن تكون تماما
أمسك بهذه الرواية وقال إنها تعتبر مائة عام من العزلة الصينية، وما إن سمعت كلامه حتى أضمرت سرا أن تكون ضمن مقتنياتي لأني أعرف أن مائة عام من العزلة رواية عظيمة -رغم أني لم أقرأها بعد😆،ولا أدري ما الذي يمنعني- ، ولأنها مترجمة عن الصينية ولم يسبق لي أن أقرأ أي شيء من الأدب الصيني.
ويا للمفاجأة ركنتها عامين في عزلة -جنت على نفسها- ولم أفتحها ولا أدري لم تذكرتها مؤخرا.
لا أخفي أنني واجهت صعوبة في التأقلم مع جو الرواية وإنها استغرقتني وقتا أطول مما اعتدته لقراءة رواية، الأسماء جديدة وعاداتهم مختلفة وكل شيء فيها مختلف.
ولعل اختلافها هو ما جعلني أستمتع فيها وأعتبر نفسي في رحلة مختلفة، رحلة لمجهول لم أجربه من قبل. الجبال الصينية وعائلة إينيكويه اللي تعد عائلة بدوية صينية تنتقل من مكان لآخر، وبدلا من نقل الأغنام معهم ينقلون الغزلان.
الغزلان، لا تدرون كم هو لطيف حبهم للغزلان، وصل حبهم لها لدرجة القداسة. الرواية تبعدك عن المدينة عن الأشياء التي اعتدت عليها تحملك لأحضان الطبيعة، ترى فيه بشرا مختلفين، لم يتعلموا في المدارس ولكن كانوا يستقون دروسهم من الطبيعة وجمالها الساحر.
الرواية تحمل الكثير والكثير من المشاعر وهي أشبه بسيرة ذاتية تحكيها بطلة القصة، لن تجد حبكةً مرسومة لكن الرواية ممتعة وغنية بما فيها.
كانت تجربةً مختلفة كما تخيلتها أن تكون تماما
November 7, 2019
A poetic, mystical story of a tribe of Evenki people living their lives in Northern China. Told by an unnamed 90-year old woman reciting her life story this is set in a time of change when Civilization encroaches into the mountain regions.
I enjoyed this story although the last 1/4 did start to drag. I found the story interesting but there seemed to be more detailed descriptions of the forest, the animals, people's movements that seemed to slow the story down. This may be due to translation, perhaps.
However, this is a story to be read. It's sad to see these wonderful ways of life disappearing into cities and paved roads.
I enjoyed this story although the last 1/4 did start to drag. I found the story interesting but there seemed to be more detailed descriptions of the forest, the animals, people's movements that seemed to slow the story down. This may be due to translation, perhaps.
However, this is a story to be read. It's sad to see these wonderful ways of life disappearing into cities and paved roads.
January 22, 2021
رواية ممتعة، افهم لماذا قيل عنها أنها "مئة عام من العزلة الصينية"..
هي رواية أجيال تتبع العقود الأخيرة من عمر قبيلة صغيرة تعيش في الجبال.. وكعادة القصص التي تحكي عن تعاقب الأجيال وتبدل الأحوال فهي تترك غصة في القلب، لكنها قراءة ممتعة، خاصة في حكيها عن حياة القبيلة وحكاياتها السحرية، وتجعل من الموت جزءا من طبيعة الحياة كالشمس والقمر والجبال.. تبدأ الأحداث في بطء ثم تتسارع في الفصول الأخيرة الى درجة تجعل من الصعب متابعة كافة شخوص الرواية التي تظهر وتختفي بسرعة، واعتقد انه أمر مقصود من الكاتبة، فالأحداث تتباطأ أو تتسارع بإيقاع الحياة نفسها..
بالمناسبة ذكرتني بشدة برواية حديث الصباح والمساء للرائع نجيب محفوظ أكثر من رواية مئة عام من العزلة.
هي رواية أجيال تتبع العقود الأخيرة من عمر قبيلة صغيرة تعيش في الجبال.. وكعادة القصص التي تحكي عن تعاقب الأجيال وتبدل الأحوال فهي تترك غصة في القلب، لكنها قراءة ممتعة، خاصة في حكيها عن حياة القبيلة وحكاياتها السحرية، وتجعل من الموت جزءا من طبيعة الحياة كالشمس والقمر والجبال.. تبدأ الأحداث في بطء ثم تتسارع في الفصول الأخيرة الى درجة تجعل من الصعب متابعة كافة شخوص الرواية التي تظهر وتختفي بسرعة، واعتقد انه أمر مقصود من الكاتبة، فالأحداث تتباطأ أو تتسارع بإيقاع الحياة نفسها..
بالمناسبة ذكرتني بشدة برواية حديث الصباح والمساء للرائع نجيب محفوظ أكثر من رواية مئة عام من العزلة.
March 3, 2018
Read for the Tales & Co. book group.
I really enjoyed learning about the Evinki tribe and culture, and loved the narrative aspect of this story. Something about a person just recounting their life and history is really enjoyable to me. I had no knowledge of the Evinkis prior to this reading, which is why I love reading! You always learn something new.
I really enjoyed learning about the Evinki tribe and culture, and loved the narrative aspect of this story. Something about a person just recounting their life and history is really enjoyable to me. I had no knowledge of the Evinkis prior to this reading, which is why I love reading! You always learn something new.
September 8, 2020
Yorumlarda biri şey yazmış "Beautifully written, but depressing as fuck" kslflsllfls bu resmen ben.
June 2, 2023
todella upea tarina kauniilla kerronnalla ja luontokuvauksella. Heräsi kiinnostus lukea enemmänkin evenki-kansasta ja Google lauloi kyllä kirjan kuuntelun ohella…
August 18, 2023
I really truly enjoyed this. It took longer than usual for me to get into this though, and I was really worried I wouldn't like this. But once I was hooked I was HOOKED.
This has that family saga genre convention that I absolutely love, I eat books like this upp. There are so many characters and life events to be invested in and connected too - feeling the love and loss as the rest of the family does too.
There is a lot of death and tragedy in this narrative too though, so fair warning before reading. The descriptions of nature and intimacy and companionship and art were sublime. I enjoy how each phase of the book was titled under one theme.
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this book by absolute chance, this wasn't influenced by what I'd heard on social media or from people around me (honestly, the cover of the Vintage Earth edition did it for me), as this covered people and a period of history I hadn't been exposed to before.
This has that family saga genre convention that I absolutely love, I eat books like this upp. There are so many characters and life events to be invested in and connected too - feeling the love and loss as the rest of the family does too.
There is a lot of death and tragedy in this narrative too though, so fair warning before reading. The descriptions of nature and intimacy and companionship and art were sublime. I enjoy how each phase of the book was titled under one theme.
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this book by absolute chance, this wasn't influenced by what I'd heard on social media or from people around me (honestly, the cover of the Vintage Earth edition did it for me), as this covered people and a period of history I hadn't been exposed to before.
March 31, 2022
Olipa tämä surullisen koskettava tarina. Paimentolaiskulttuureissa ja luonnon kanssa elämisessä on jotain, mikä kovasti kiehtoo... Ja se, miten nämä kansat on alistettu ja tapettu ja elämäntyyli tuhottu, on sydäntäsärkevää. Kovia ihmiskohtaloita ja mm. katkeruutta ja menetyksiä on kirjassa kuvattu hienosti.
August 15, 2022
4.5*
beautiful, lyrical and slow prose.
a generational tale of a tribe living in the mountains of china, chronicling their lives, relationships and deaths, as well as the effects of the inevitable influence of the outside world.
beautiful, lyrical and slow prose.
a generational tale of a tribe living in the mountains of china, chronicling their lives, relationships and deaths, as well as the effects of the inevitable influence of the outside world.
Read
August 28, 2024I only vaguely knew there’re reindeer herders in North Asia, so glad I found a novel centred on them.
Эвэнкил / Evenkīl / ᠧᠸᠧᠩᠺᠢ
This book is very much Magical Realism. The “modern”world would describe Evenki life as idyllic, but I think I came to realise true idylls don’t exist—people get hurt easily, and hurt people hurt people.
However, it’s worth noting that the author is not Evenki and some passages seem to reflect Han Chinese, or any Confucian influenced culture after Westernisation, ideology (ie. filial duty to sacrifice). That said, it feels respectfully done, and I learned a lot about Evenki practices.
Эвэнкил / Evenkīl / ᠧᠸᠧᠩᠺᠢ
This book is very much Magical Realism. The “modern”world would describe Evenki life as idyllic, but I think I came to realise true idylls don’t exist—people get hurt easily, and hurt people hurt people.
However, it’s worth noting that the author is not Evenki and some passages seem to reflect Han Chinese, or any Confucian influenced culture after Westernisation, ideology (ie. filial duty to sacrifice). That said, it feels respectfully done, and I learned a lot about Evenki practices.
May 11, 2026
upea kirja, niin kaunista luonnon ja ihmisen suhteen kuvausta ja evenki-kansan historiaa.
April 23, 2022
Kiinalaisen Chi Zijianin teos Puolikuu lumosi minut uskomattomilla luontokuvauksilla vuoristossa Venäjän ja Kiinan rajaseuduilla Argunjoen lähistöllä. Kirjan kertojana toimi yhdeksänkymmentävuotias evenkinainen, joka oli jäänyt lapsenlapsensa kanssa Iso-Hinganin vuoristoon porojensa kanssa, kun muu heimo oli muuttanut heille rakennettuihin taloihin. Evenkit olivat paimentolaisia, jotka siirtyivät porojaan seuraamalla seuraavaan porojen ruokapaikkaan. Itse he metsästivät ja kalastivat ruokansa.
Kirjan kertoja aloitti tarinoinnin omasta syntymästään, joka tapahtui talvisaikaan. Kirjan edetessä aukesi koko suvun ja heimon henkilöiden tarinat auki. Heimolla oli myös oma šhamaani, joka tanssi tarvittaessa, kun joku sairasti tai he olivat saaneet hyvän metsästyssaaliin, jota kannatti juhlia jne.
Chi Zijianin Puolikuu kertoi hienosti polveilevan sukusaagan evenki-paimentolaisten elämästä vuoristoisella seudulla Kiinan ja Venäjän rajaseudulla, jossa luonto oli läsnä jokaisessa hetkessä.
Kirjan kertoja aloitti tarinoinnin omasta syntymästään, joka tapahtui talvisaikaan. Kirjan edetessä aukesi koko suvun ja heimon henkilöiden tarinat auki. Heimolla oli myös oma šhamaani, joka tanssi tarvittaessa, kun joku sairasti tai he olivat saaneet hyvän metsästyssaaliin, jota kannatti juhlia jne.
Chi Zijianin Puolikuu kertoi hienosti polveilevan sukusaagan evenki-paimentolaisten elämästä vuoristoisella seudulla Kiinan ja Venäjän rajaseudulla, jossa luonto oli läsnä jokaisessa hetkessä.
January 26, 2026
Felt really conflicted writing this review. Mainly WHY DOESN’T GOODREADS HAVE HALF STARS OMG. This was def 3.5 for me. There was some amazing lyricism and beautiful storytelling but ultimately I never had enough time to care for a character before they died. I didn’t feel like there was much of a plot just a ton of disparate storylines told as one. I suppose it was very reflective of the nomadic lifestyle of the Evenki people but it stopped me from wanting to pick the book back up.
October 4, 2026
If he heard the sound of reindeer bells coming, he ran out excitedly from the shirangju to greet them. He put salt in his palm, knelt down and fed the reindeer like a devout believer kowtowing before the Spirit he venerates.
This novel follows an unnamed narrator and her extended family, members of the Evenki tribe, a nomadic, mountain-dwelling people who live in northern China and rear reindeer along the border with Russia, and not too far from Mongolia. They have a very distinct culture from the majority Han Chinese, with their own language, religion, cultural beliefs and folklore. We follow the narrator from when she is a child until she is 90, in the early part of the Twentieth Century, when the majority of her clan elect to abandon their nomadic lifestyle, leaving just her and her grandson An'tsaur to remain in the mountains.
Chi Zijian's writing is beautiful throughout. I was worried as some reviews said it is quite simple. It is simple, in the sense that it's easy to read - no overly convoluted sentences, nor paragraphs spanning pages. However, Chi's writing is infused with meaning and gorgeous imagery.
The above is just as well, because a lot - and I mean A LOT - of characters die in this novel. Mother Nature is infinitely more powerful than the Evenki, and the narrator's family members meet their fates due to a vast array of natural causes: mushrooms, bears, drowning, with one character even losing three (!) children in succession - I was almost ready to close the book when I thought Chi was about to kill the narrator's fourth niece/nephew off, but thankfully she switched it up.
A wonderful book charting the history of the Evenki people. Even though it can get a bit dour at times, there's enough love within the pages - human for human, and reverence of nature - that it doesn't start verging on unbelievable. I'm also forever grateful for the family tree included in the front of the book - utterly necessary for a novel with such a large cast.
Recommended, and very interesting to learn about a tribe I had not heard of before prior to reading.
This novel follows an unnamed narrator and her extended family, members of the Evenki tribe, a nomadic, mountain-dwelling people who live in northern China and rear reindeer along the border with Russia, and not too far from Mongolia. They have a very distinct culture from the majority Han Chinese, with their own language, religion, cultural beliefs and folklore. We follow the narrator from when she is a child until she is 90, in the early part of the Twentieth Century, when the majority of her clan elect to abandon their nomadic lifestyle, leaving just her and her grandson An'tsaur to remain in the mountains.
Chi Zijian's writing is beautiful throughout. I was worried as some reviews said it is quite simple. It is simple, in the sense that it's easy to read - no overly convoluted sentences, nor paragraphs spanning pages. However, Chi's writing is infused with meaning and gorgeous imagery.
The above is just as well, because a lot - and I mean A LOT - of characters die in this novel. Mother Nature is infinitely more powerful than the Evenki, and the narrator's family members meet their fates due to a vast array of natural causes: mushrooms, bears, drowning, with one character even losing three (!) children in succession - I was almost ready to close the book when I thought Chi was about to kill the narrator's fourth niece/nephew off, but thankfully she switched it up.
A wonderful book charting the history of the Evenki people. Even though it can get a bit dour at times, there's enough love within the pages - human for human, and reverence of nature - that it doesn't start verging on unbelievable. I'm also forever grateful for the family tree included in the front of the book - utterly necessary for a novel with such a large cast.
Recommended, and very interesting to learn about a tribe I had not heard of before prior to reading.
February 11, 2025
Chi Zijian’s The Last Quarter of the Moon is a beautifully woven intergenerational saga of the Evenki tribe, an indigenous nomadic people spread across China, Mongolia, Russia, and Siberia. The novel transports readers deep into the forests, where traditions, folklore, and the rhythms of nature shape the lives of the Evenki.
Told through the eyes of an unnamed female protagonist, the story spans her lifetime—beginning in childhood and culminating in old age. Her namelessness, revealed at the novel’s end with a poignant explanation, adds a layer of mystique and universality to her narrative. Through her, the author vividly captures the lives, customs, and struggles of the Evenki people, intertwining their traditions with the historical shifts brought by Japan, Russia, and China—forces that remained distant yet impactful on these forest-dwelling tribes.
Chi Zijian’s storytelling is immersive, bringing the Evenki way of life alive with meticulous detail. I loved how she delved into their spiritual practices, particularly the use of magic and the spirit dance—where, as the protagonist explains, something must always be given in return to gain something. While many folktales and legends touch on this concept, the way it is portrayed in the novel is both heartwarming and deeply melancholic.
The novel’s pace fluctuates—at times moving swiftly through events, yet always drawing the reader into the lives of its richly developed characters. I found myself deeply attached to the protagonist and the people around her, especially her two husbands and the many men and women who shaped her journey. Their relationships, struggles, and resilience made this book an emotional and unforgettable read.
Chi Zijian masterfully takes the reader across landscapes and histories, making the forests of the Evenki tribe feel both intimate and vast. This book left me in awe, not only of its storytelling but also of the world it unveiled. A truly remarkable read.
Told through the eyes of an unnamed female protagonist, the story spans her lifetime—beginning in childhood and culminating in old age. Her namelessness, revealed at the novel’s end with a poignant explanation, adds a layer of mystique and universality to her narrative. Through her, the author vividly captures the lives, customs, and struggles of the Evenki people, intertwining their traditions with the historical shifts brought by Japan, Russia, and China—forces that remained distant yet impactful on these forest-dwelling tribes.
Chi Zijian’s storytelling is immersive, bringing the Evenki way of life alive with meticulous detail. I loved how she delved into their spiritual practices, particularly the use of magic and the spirit dance—where, as the protagonist explains, something must always be given in return to gain something. While many folktales and legends touch on this concept, the way it is portrayed in the novel is both heartwarming and deeply melancholic.
The novel’s pace fluctuates—at times moving swiftly through events, yet always drawing the reader into the lives of its richly developed characters. I found myself deeply attached to the protagonist and the people around her, especially her two husbands and the many men and women who shaped her journey. Their relationships, struggles, and resilience made this book an emotional and unforgettable read.
Chi Zijian masterfully takes the reader across landscapes and histories, making the forests of the Evenki tribe feel both intimate and vast. This book left me in awe, not only of its storytelling but also of the world it unveiled. A truly remarkable read.
October 2, 2024
Jos haluaisin tiivistää lyhyesti kirjan tunnelman, pyytäisin ajattelemaan tilannetta, jossa vanha isoäiti kertoo elämänsä tarinaa jälkipolville takkatulen ääressä. Isoäiti on elänyt yksinkertaista paimentolaiskansan elämää luonnon ehdoilla ja vaikka maailma muuttuu ympärillä - joskin melko kaukana omasta arjesta - elämä pyörii universaalisti jaettujen inhimillisten kokemusten eli yhteisöön kuulumisen, elämän, kuoleman, rakkauksien ja riitojen ympärillä. Kerronta on kaunista ja verkkaista. Omaan makuuni tai ehkä omaan tunnetilaani lukuhetkellä hetkittäin liiankin verkkaista. Kirjan kerrontatyyli tarkoittaa myös, että esimerkiksi dialogia tästä kirjasta ei juuri löydy muuta kuin sen verran, mitä kirjan kertoja haluaa jonkun henkilön sanomana korostaa kullakin hetkellä. Ei se varsinaisesti häiritse, mutta saattaa varsinkin luettuna olla välillä vähän raskasta. Luulen, että en itse olisi saanut tätä oikein etenemään painettuna laitoksena, mutta kuunneltuna toimi ihan hyvin.
Erityisesti olin vaikuttunut siitä, miten hienosti tämä on kiinan kielestä käännetty suomeksi. Ei sillä, että minulla mitään ammattitaitoa sitä olisi arvioida, mutta kuunneltuani suomentajan jälkisanat käännöstyöhön liittyen, en voinut kuin ihailla sitä, miten soljuvaa tekstiä suomen kielelle on syntynyt varsin haastavasta lähtökielestä.
Erityisesti olin vaikuttunut siitä, miten hienosti tämä on kiinan kielestä käännetty suomeksi. Ei sillä, että minulla mitään ammattitaitoa sitä olisi arvioida, mutta kuunneltuani suomentajan jälkisanat käännöstyöhön liittyen, en voinut kuin ihailla sitä, miten soljuvaa tekstiä suomen kielelle on syntynyt varsin haastavasta lähtökielestä.
February 25, 2022
Koskettava tarina poronhoidosta elävästä evenki-kansasta halki 1900-luvun suurten mullistusten. Paimentolaiskansa Kiinan, Venäjän/Neuvostoliiton ja Japanin suurien historiallisten tapahtumien melskeissä oli yllättäen kymmenien kiinnostavien elämäntarinoiden lähde. Loistava luettava Konttisen Siperia-kirjan jälkeen, sillä Konttisenkin kirjassa käsiteltiin evenkejä lyhyesti. Kiinan paimentolaiskansoja kohtaan kohdistama kolonialismi teki kipeää. Ylimääräinen tähti ihan vain kovin vähän kuvatun kansa käsittelystä.
Kärsi toki lähes kaikkien suurten vuosisataromaanien tavoin tapahtumien hillittömästä tulvasta, jossa ei ollut hengähtämiselle juuri sijaa. Silti koskettava ja kiinnostava kuvaus katoamaisillaan olevasta kansasta.
Kärsi toki lähes kaikkien suurten vuosisataromaanien tavoin tapahtumien hillittömästä tulvasta, jossa ei ollut hengähtämiselle juuri sijaa. Silti koskettava ja kiinnostava kuvaus katoamaisillaan olevasta kansasta.
October 8, 2024
This is a story about an ethnic minority, Evenki, that lives in the north of inner Mongolia in China. The story unfolds the tribal structure, shamanic ritual, and their relationship with the nature through examine character livies spamming five generations.
I adored the words of Chi Zijian, she captured the precise balance between romanticizing and realizing the Evenki culture and lifestyle. Her story gives the audience a good think on how the “civilized” development in a country marginalize ethnic group and their nomadic lifestyle.
“面对越来越繁华和陌生的世界，曾是这片土地的主人的他们，成了现代世界的”边缘人”，成了要接受救济和灵魂拯救的一群！我深深理解他们内心深处的哀愁和孤独“ - 迟子建
October 28, 2025
its really good look at the 20th century of a small tribe called the Evenki. some of the scenes are quite sad and it's probably got too many characters to really keep track of but I think, overall it's a very interesting and tragic read about a changing world
March 26, 2024
Absolutely stunning.
May 31, 2024
3,5 stars. Beautiful but repetitive at times.
April 30, 2023
wow this took so long i felt like i lived her life too
good in many parts but 200-300 boring
good in many parts but 200-300 boring
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews