Chinese Literature

From the author of Brothers and China in Ten Words this celebrated contemporary classic of Chinese literature was also adapted for film by Zhang Yimou. This searing novel, originally banned in China but later named one of that nation's most influential books, portrays one man's transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant. After squandering his family's fortune in gambling 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 behind 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 the 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.

Thunderstorm, a four-act play by China's leading playwright Tsao Yu, has held the stage since it was first produced in 1933, and is a classic of 20th-century drama. Its wide human appeal has drawn audiences from every walk of life. The setting is the home of an industrialist in northern China, where a family has come together with the inexorable fatality of a Greek drama. This is a play of tensions, and in the 24 hours in which the action takes place, we watch these tensions mount as the climax swiftly approaches. The emotional conflicts and stresses, which Tsao Yu handles with remarkable finesse, are skillfully interwoven in such a way that suspense is sustained to the very end. The play is an accomplished example of the Western form of drama in China.