Li Er, whose innovative works of fiction have earned the admiration
of scholars and critics - and a passionate fan base of readers - is
one of China's most prominent writers. This landmark publication of
his Coloratura, a tour de force of literary innovation, marks the
first translation of the author's novels into English. Set against
the turbulent backdrop of the Chinese Civil War, Coloratura
revolves around the mysterious Ge Ren, whose story is told by three
narrators and a host of other voices. Who was Ge Ren really? Just
about the only thing anyone can agree on is that he is dead. But
how he died, and who he was when alive, are less than certain. Was
Ge Ren a hero, a Nationalist or Communist, a poet, translator,
scholar, or spy - or some combination of all these identities? And
how much of his story is merely fanciful ""coloratura"" nonsense?
As different factions fight for control of China, Ge Ren traverses
the political and intellectual life of the country, managing to
affect countless lives. Years later, in the present day, his final
surviving descendant, the intriguing ""compiler"" of the novel,
pieces together the stories of her enigmatic ancestor from a
patchwork of narrators, reliable or otherwise, and historical
documents, real or invented. But readers also will wonder if she
has an agenda of her own. The search for Ge Ren takes us from
Chairman Mao's stronghold at Yan'an to a barren People's Commune,
and then farther afield, with excursions into Russia, Japan, and
even a small town in England. Many of the characters and incidents
are actual historical figures and events, woven seamlessly into the
fictional storyline. Told with swashbuckling brio and painstaking
historical detail, Coloratura is both an illuminating journey
through twentieth-century Chinese history and a profound
exploration of the elusive nature of truth.
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