1966

by Wang Xiaoni

The story happens in 1966. A group of common people leading a street life forms its main characters. Their stories are by no means particular but much more common. These ordinary people working on various crafts have different histories. In such a time that everyone feels insecure, their life has changed involuntarily at some critical point—it is not the ferocious fatal decision but ups and downs in the grey zone, since then, the nature of personality appears to the surface.
这是发生在1966年的故事。日常市井中普通的人们， 他们的故事绝非特殊，而是普通又普遍的。这些普通人，从事各种行当，背负各种历史，在这个人人自危之年的某个临界点，他们的生活发生了身不由己的改变——这改变不是轰轰烈烈的生死抉择，而是灰色地带的沉浮明灭，人性的斑斓底色由此彰显。

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

(Chinese: 王小妮; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎoní) (born 1955) is a Chinese poet.

Wang Xioani graduated from Jilin University in 1982 where she was a literary editor and worked for a film studio. In 1985 she settled in Shenzen and became a professor at Hainan University. She has published over 25 books of poetry and won several awards. In 2015 the translation of her book Something Crosses My Mind by Eleanor Goodman was shortlisted for the International Griffin Poetry Prize. Other translations of her work have been published by poet Pascale Petit.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first complete book I've ever read in Chinese! Weirdly, I feel like I have to read in translation in English before passing judgment. But it was a five star experience.