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"When I write there is a constant voice in my ears. Sometimes I hear laughter\, sometimes I hear sobs\, sometimes I hear sighs\, sometimes I hear myself." &mdash\; Yu Hua in \;Modern Chi nese Literature and Culture
\nAlthough it was initially banned in Ch ina\, the internationally award-winning epic novel \;To Live\, \;w hich was first published in 1993\, is now considered to be one of the coun try's most influential books\, with millions of copies in print. Called a "Chinese Book of Job" by the author Wang Ping\, it tells the poignant stor y of a man's transformation from a mean\, selfish wastrel to a devoted hus band and father trying desperately to keep his family alive during the wor st famine in Chinese history and a time of dramatic political and social c hange. Spanning four decades of modern Chinese history and written in stri pped-down prose with a sensitivity to the dialogue and details of everyday life\, the novel is tragic and filled with pain\, but it is also a tale o f endurance\, humility\, beauty\, love\, and ultimate redemption.
\nYu Hua is one of China's most well-known authors and his bestselling novel \, \;To Live\, \;has been named one of China's ten most influentia l books of the last decade. \;
\n"Though unmistakably Chinese\," writes author Ha Jin\, Yu's novels "are universally resonant."
\n&l dquo\;A \;work of astounding emotional power.&rdquo\; &mdash\;Dai Siji e\, author of \;Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
\nFrom the author of \;Brothers \;and \;China in Ten Words: this cele brated contemporary classic of Chinese literature was also adapted for fil m by Zhang Yimou. After squandering his family&rsquo\;s fortune in gamblin g dens and brothels\, the young\, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer. Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behi nd his family\, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War\, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by th e ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Left with an ox as the companion of his final years\, Fugui stands as a model of gritty authenticity\, buoyed by his appreciation for life in this narrative of humbling power.
\nExplore \;To Live \;in the Broward County Library catalog \;or stop by the library to pick up a free copy while supplies last.
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\nNEA Big Read is a program of the National Endow ment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. \; \;
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