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“But what sets me apart from other Chinese writers is that I neither copy the narrative techniques of foreign writers nor imitate their story lines; what I am happy to do is closely explore what is embedded in their work in order to understand their observations of life and comprehend how they view the world we live in. In my mind, by reading the works of others, a writer is actually engaging in a dialogue, maybe even a romance in which, if there is a meeting of the minds, a lifelong friendship is born; if not, an amicable parting is fine, too.”
― Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh: A Novel
― Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh: A Novel
“I have nothing but admiration for myself as a youngster; I was a force to be reckoned with then, a much finer specimen than I am now. As kids, we had little meat on our bones; we were sticklike figures with big rounded bellies, the skin stretched so taut it was nearly transparent — you could just about see our intestines twist and coil on the other side. Our necks were so long and thin it was a miracle they could support our heavy heads.”
― Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh: A Novel
― Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh: A Novel
“Did you see her again in France?" I asked him.”
“No. When I got to France, she was already dead. She committed suicide ...”
“Why?”
“She often told me she was frightened of getting old...”
― Rue des boutiques obscures
“No. When I got to France, she was already dead. She committed suicide ...”
“Why?”
“She often told me she was frightened of getting old...”
― Rue des boutiques obscures
“Instead of speaking of justice and injustice, freedom and oppression, classless society and class society, they talked in terms of God and the Devil.”
― The War of the End of the World
― The War of the End of the World
“Hutte, for instance, used to quote the case of a fellow he called "the beach man." This man had spent forty years of his life on beaches or by the sides of swimming pools, chatting pleasantly with summer visitors and rich idlers. He is to be seen, in his bathing costume, in the corners and backgrounds of thousands of holiday snaps, among groups of happy people, but no one knew his name and why he was there. And no one noticed when one day he vanished from the photographs. I did not dare tell Hutte, but I felt that "the beach man" was myself. Though it would not have surprised him if I had confessed it. Hutte was always saying that, in the end, we were all "beach men" and that "the sand" - I am quoting his own words - "keeps the traces of our footsteps only a few moments.”
― Rue des boutiques obscures
― Rue des boutiques obscures
Md’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Md’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
2 books
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34 friends
10 books
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122 friends
1 book
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538 friends
409 books
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153 friends
175 books
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30 friends
7 books
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60 friends
13 books
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106 friends
1 book
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121 friends
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