Anthology of Chinese short-shorts ranges from exotic to downright
weird.Apparently, short-short stories (under a thousand words) have
taken China, Taiwan and Hong Kong by storm. Whence this collection
representing what the editors' introduction cites as a global
phenomenon. In China, short-shorts are not merely the province of
creative-writing programs or literary contests, but have a mass
readership in magazines and newspapers. This anthology attempts to
bill as literature what are essentially anecdotes a la Paul Harvey.
Whether the culture barriers are too opaque, the translation issues
too thorny or self-censorship too rampant, the most avid reader of
international literature may find these stories vague and puzzling.
Division into 15 sections with seemingly arbitrary theme headings,
e.g. Governance, Controversy and yes, Weirdness, imposes no real
coherence. A few of the pieces are gently ironic, while many amble
aimlessly-the majority of these 91 tales are more accurately
characterized as sketches. In "Losing the Feet," a shoe clerk is
drawn to a customer with smelly feet, and when she disappears, his
own feet start to smell. "The Beat" involves a son's gift of a
metronome-delayed by a garrulous old geezer-to a mother who, in
retirement, is pursuing her lifelong dream of learning the piano.
"A Cup of Tea" captures a petty bureaucrat's anguish over not
offering tea to a non-tea-drinking superior, and then over
apologizing for his lapse. Readers may not grasp the outcome of
certain stories ("A Capable Man Can't Handle a Small Case," "Cat").
Some smack of horror ("Flies," "Chimney Smoke"). Occasionally,
entries succeed by rendering a socioeconomic phenomenon concrete:
the food chain of trash trucks and trash-pickers, in "The Cycle";
or by illustrating a peculiar prejudice: a male obstetrician risks
offending by delivering babies and pays with his life for his skill
("Small-Hands Chen"). Other stories echo Western fables ("The Crow
and the Fox") or pop songs ("Black Umbrella"). Too few achieve the
emotional precision of "A Knock at the Door" or "An Encounter with
General Zhou."A curiosity at best. (Kirkus Reviews)
Extremely short stories-known as short-shorts-have become a
global phenomenon, but nowhere have they been embraced as
enthusiastically as in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The
form's artistic and aesthetic freedoms allow authors to capture the
tone, texture, and chaos of their rapidly changing societies in
infinitely inventive ways. Fragments and contingencies reveal
unofficial histories, undocumented memories, and the trials of
everyday individuals, and the genre's lean format is a welcome
antidote to a culture characterized by rampant excess.
"Loud Sparrows" is a spirited collection of ninety-one
short-shorts written by Chinese authors over the past three
decades. Presenting diverse voices and perspectives by writers both
well known and new to the art, the stories are culled from
newspapers, magazines, literary journals, and personal collections.
Their subjects range from the mundane to the sublime and illuminate
everything from humanist ideals to traditional virtues to the
material benefits of a commercialized society. The anthology is
organized into thematic categories such as Change, Creatures,
(In)fidelities, Grooming, Governance, Nourishment, and Weirdness,
and includes notes to better understand the genre. Each section is
introduced by an original piece of flash fiction written by Howard
Goldblatt.
The short-short, to borrow a Chinese saying, is "small as a
sparrow but has all the vital organs" of a good story. "Loud
Sparrows" offers a comprehensive introduction to a unique literary
genre that has revolutionized world literature.
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