From one of China’s most famous contemporary writers, who celebrated novel To Live catapulted him to international fame, here is a stunning collection of stories, selected from the best of Yu Hua’s early work, that shows his far-reaching influence on a pivotal period in Chinese literature. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yu Hua and other young Chinese writers began to reimagine their national literature. Departing from conventional realism in favor of a more surreal and subjective approach inspired by Kafka, Faulkner, and Borges, the boundary-pushing fiction of this period reflected the momentous cultural changes sweeping the world’s most populous nation. The stories collected here show Yu Hua masterfully guiding us from one fractured reality to another. “A History of Two People” traces the paths of a man and a woman who dream in parallel throughout their lives. “In Memory of Miss Willow Yang” weaves a spellbinding web of signs and symbols. “As the North Wind Howled” carries a case of mistaken identity to absurd and hilarious conclusions. And the title story follows an unforgettable narrator determined to unearth a conspiracy against him that may not exist. By turns daring, darkly comic, thought-provoking, and profound, The April 3rd Incident is an extraordinary record of a singular moment in Chinese letters.

"Stories previously published in different magazines in Chinese, but never as a collection" --

The years 1945?1950 were turbulent times in Korea. Proponents of two very different ideologies were struggling for control of the country, and many innocent people were killed in the struggle. One of the most tragic and, until now, largely unknown events during this period occurred on Jeju Island in 1948. On April 3 of that year, a communist uprising that enjoyed significant support within the local communities was brutally suppressed by the police and military forces of the Korean government, with guidance from the American military. It is estimated that at least 30,000 people, many of them innocent civilians, were killed in the brutal massacre ordered by President Syngman Rhee. And yet very few people, either within or outside of Korea, have a clear understanding of the enormity of this event, for an eerie silence has surrounded it for the last 50 years. Islanders who survived the event have remained silent about it largely out of fear of how they might be implicated in it, or associated with the communist forces in Korea, if it were openly discussed. This is the story of ?The Jeju Massacre,? a story that needs to be told.The short stories by Hyun Kil-Un brought together in this collection are all set on Jeju Island in and around the time of the Jeju Massacre. Each story offers its own unique perspective on the events surrounding the massacre, and the connections between the stories provide readers with a deep, multi-faceted understanding of the incident. This fictional exploration of the Jeju Massacre dramatically illustrates how innocent people are the victims of ideologies, how truth can be concealed on such a large scale, and how the revelation of truth can be so subversive in society.This is the first English-language translation of this collection of stories by Hyun-Kil-Un. The stories assembled here are readily accessible to all readers of the English-language, but will be especially relevant to those with an interest in Korean literature, Korean history, Japanese colonialism, the communist movement, and Korean-American relations.CONTENTS ?The Dream of the Dragon Horse; ?Dawn?; ?Grandfather?; ?Fever?; ?The Homecoming?; ?Fire and Ashes?; ?Dead Silence?

For fifteen years he has been silent. Now, the legendary #1 New York Times bestselling author of such classic suspense novels as The Eiger Sanction and Shibumi returns-- unleashing a stunning thriller set against the backdrop of the American West. A godforsaken town. A young, eager-to-please stranger carrying a homemade shotgun and a staggering secret. And a madman escaped from the Territorial Prison at Laramie, cutting a swath of sadistic violence with two killers at his side. Now, for the people of Twenty-Mile-- the God-fearing and the godless, heroes, whores, lovers and a boy teetering on the edge of madness-- a siege is about to begin amidst a harrowing mountain storm. And when the killing, the thunder, and the terror are over, some will live, some will be buried, and the myth of the American frontier will never be the same...

Yu Hua’s beautiful, heartbreaking novel Cries in the Drizzle follows a young Chinese boy throughout his childhood and adolescence during the reign of Chairman Mao. The middle son of three, Sun Guanglin is constantly neglected ignored by his parents and his younger and older brother. Sent away at age six to live with another family, he returns to his parents’ house six years later on the same night that their home burns to the ground, making him even more a black sheep. Yet Sun Guanglin’s status as an outcast, both at home and in his village, places him in a unique position to observe the changing nature of Chinese society, as social dynamics — and his very own family — are changed forever under Communist rule. With its moving, thoughtful prose, Cries in the Drizzle is a stunning addition to the wide-ranging work of one of China’s most distinguished contemporary writers.

Originally banned in China but later named one of that nation’s most influential books, a searing novel that portrays one man’s transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant. “A work of astounding emotional power.” —Dai Sijie, author of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 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. 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.

A bestselling modern classic—both poignant and funny—narrated by a fifteen year old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind. And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotions. The effect is dazzling, making for one of the freshest debut in years: a comedy, a tearjerker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.

A shy, lonely 6-year-old with an uncanny ability to handle animals wanders into the Canadian prairie and spends an incredible summer under the care and protection of a female badger. A Newbery Honor Book.

A first-hand account of the "228 Incident," a massacre in which somewhere between ten thousand and thirty thousand local leaders and intellectuals in Taiwan were systematically slaughtered by the Nationalist Chinese regime.