These are only some of the movements and motifs that run through yiyun lis illuminating, morally complex, and symphonic novel, the vagrants. Brilliant and illuminating, this astonishing debut novel by the awardwinning writer yiyun li is set in china in the late 1970s, when beijing was rocked by the democratic wall movement, an anticommunist groundswell designed to move china beyond the dark shadow of the cultural revolution toward a more enlightened and open society. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. Ann patchett, author of run ezra pound said that literature is news that stays news. Political torture and execution might not seem the most edifying starting point for a novel, but, in yiyun li s expert hands, they offer a springboard for an inspirational portrait of the. Regardless, with so many predecessor books, one might well wonder whether there were any more stories left to tell set in those specific years. The vagrants is filled with violence and horror i havent mentioned all the outrages inflicted on gu shans body but li finds room for some humour here and there.
A thousand years of good prayers, 2005 takes place across a brief stretch of days in muddy river, a poor town hundreds of miles from beijing. Though suffering, lis characters nevertheless struggle to maintain hope amid cruel circumstance. Yiyun li grew up in beijing and has lived in american since 1996. Her debut collection, a thousand years of good prayers, won the frank oconnor international short story award and guardian first book award. Feb 14, 2009 y iyun lis 2005 debut story collection a thousand years of good prayers earned her comparisons with chekhov and alice munro. Yiyun li on the lifechanging quality of literature read. Yiyun li has written a book that is as important politically as it is artistically. Mar 08, 2009 centered on the aftermath of a young womans execution in a desolate part of china in 1979, yiyun lis grieving and unremitting first novel examines the costs and consequences of a society. Read the vagrants a novel by yiyun li available from rakuten kobo. In a city called muddy river, in the bledgray, hysterical paranoia of china postmao, postgang of four 197879, lives a loosely connected ensemble.
Y iyun li s 2005 story collection a thousand years of good prayers which won four prizes, including the guardian first book award was admired for taking a calm, chekhovian look at a changing. A harrowing portrait of a womans execution by an oppressive chinese regime, and how her death affects an entire provincial town. Her short stories and novels have won several awards and distinctions. Political torture and execution might not seem the most edifying starting point for a novel, but, in yiyun lis expert hands, they offer a springboard for an inspirational portrait of the.
She is the author of two novels, the vagrants and kinder than solitude, two story collections, a thousand years of good prayers and gold boy, emerald girl, and a book of nonfiction, dear friend, from my life i. A mother loses a son to suicide, but their dialogue continues. Never has this theory been so radically reworked as in yiyuns lis. Her memoir, dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life, was published in 2017. Yiyun lis 2005 debut story collection a thousand years of good prayers earned her comparisons with chekhov and alice munro.
Feb 25, 2009 yiyun li is already garlanded with laurels. In luminous prose, awardwinning author yiyun li weaves together the lives of unforgettable. The effects of shans death dominate the book, but her own story is never. Centered on the aftermath of a young womans execution in a desolate part of china in 1979, yiyun lis grieving and unremitting first novel. Yiyun li has 30 books on goodreads with 51875 ratings. She wrote of the experience in dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life, a. Though suffering, li s characters nevertheless struggle to maintain hope amid cruel circumstance. Fourteenyearold gu shan was a young red guard ready to rip the world apart in the provincial chinese city of muddy river at the onset of. The vagrants by yiyun li 2009, hardcover for sale online. Yiyun li grew up in beijing and came to the united states in 1996. Yiyun li is the winner of the prestigious hemingway foundationpen award. Ann patchett, author of run every once in a while a voice and a subject are so perfectly matched that it seems as if this writer must have been born to write this book. She is the recipient of many awards, including a penhemingway award, a penjean stein book award, a macarthur foundation fellowship. A native of beijing and a graduate of the iowa writers workshop, she is the recipient of the frank oconnor international short story award, the hemingway foundationpen award, the whiting writers award, and the guardian first book award.
Feb 06, 2009 the vagrants is filled with violence and horror i havent mentioned all the outrages inflicted on gu shans body but li finds room for some humour here and there. Yiyun li is the author of a thousand years of good prayers and the vagrants. Author yiyun lis complete list of books and series in order, with the latest releases, covers, descriptions and availability. Ann patchett a starkly moving portrayal of china in the wake of the cultural revolution, this book weaves together the stories of a vivid group of characters all struggling to find a home in their own country. Author yiyun li s complete list of books and series in order, with the latest releases, covers, descriptions and availability. Dec 10, 2018 lis debut short story collection, a thousand years of good prayers, won the frank oconnor international short story award and penhemingway award. She is the author of two novels, the vagrants and kinder than solitude, two story collections, a thousand years of good prayers and gold boy, emerald girl, and a book of nonfiction, dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life. She wrote of the experience in dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life, a series of enigmatic essays in which. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. The vagrants, the first novel by chineseamerican author yiyun li who lives in oakland and teaches at ucdavis, and whose 2005 debut story collection a thousand years of good prayers, garnered much critical praise is set in 1979 in a provincial chinese town, where a former red guard is being executed as a counterrevolutionary. All the books below are recommended as readalikes for yiyun li but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. Her story, set in the small town of muddy river, employs what amounts to an ensemble cast. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Yiyun li answers that proposition in the vagrants brilliantly, with a resounding yes. Buy the vagrants book online at best prices in india on. Lis debut short story collection, a thousand years of good prayers, won the frank oconnor international short story award and penhemingway award. Brilliant and illuminating, this astonishing debut novel by the award. Her first novel, the vagrants, draws heavily on the art of the short. The vagrants, set in 1979 china, is the story of those affected by the execution of a 28yearold counterrevolutionary. Buy the vagrants book online at low prices in india the. Her novel, the vagrants, was shortlisted for dublin impac award.
Jan 22, 2019 in 2012, the novelist yiyun li twice tried to take her own life. Jan 15, 2010 yiyun li is the winner of the prestigious hemingway foundationpen award. Her short stories and novels have won several awards and distinctions, including the penhemingway award and guardian first book award for a thousand years of good prayers, and the 2020 penjean stein book award for where reasons end. Y iyun li s 2005 debut story collection a thousand years of good prayers earned her comparisons with chekhov and alice munro. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Ann patchett, author of run every once in a while a voice and a subject are so perfectly matched that it seems as. Yiyun li is the author of six works of fictionmust i go, where reasons end, kinder than solitude, a thousand years of good prayers, the vagrants, and gold boy, emerald girland the memoir dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life. The vagrants by yiyun li book cover, description, publication history.
So look for the suggested readalikes by title linked on the right. Westerners in general and americans in particular come to fiction about modern china outfitted, with filters that tend to explain everything bad or in any way unfortunate as, in one way or another, the consequence of communist party rule. Yiyun li is the author of six works of fictionmust i go, where reasons end, kinder than solitude, a thousand years of good prayers, the vagrants, and gold boy, emerald girland the memoir dear friend, from my life i write to you. But the modest setting and short time span belie this rich, expansive novel. She is the recipient of many awards, including a penhemingway award, a penjean stein book award, a macarthur.
The vagrants ebook by yiyun li 9781588367730 rakuten kobo. Lis magnificent and jawdroppingly grim novel centers on the 1979 execution of a chinese counterrevolutionary in the provincial town of. Yiyun li, author, dear friend, from my life i write to you in your life, kinder than solitude, gold boy, emerald girl, the vagrants, a thousand years of good prayers. Each of lis stunningly realized characters struggles to hold on to hope in a system so oppressive that sacrificing ones dignity is the only path to survival, and so corrupt that the one who robs and. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. In luminous prose, awardwinning author yiyun li weaves together the lives of unforgettable characters who are forced to. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A mother loses a son to suicide, but their dialogue. Y iyun lis 2005 debut story collection a thousand years of good prayers earned her comparisons with chekhov and alice munro.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the vagrants. In 2012, the novelist yiyun li twice tried to take her own life. A novel by yiyun li and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Yiyun li is a great writer one of my favorites i would say and although her books arent necessarily easy or pleasant, they are important, and give a real insight into our world, and our common humanity. Centered on the aftermath of a young womans execution in a desolate part of china in 1979, yiyun li s grieving and unremitting first novel examines the costs and consequences of a society.
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