Bi Feiyu

مساج

This “gem of a novel . . . gives us a glimpse not only into the Chinese opera world but deep into a woman’s heart” (Lisa See, author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane). Twenty years ago, in a fit of diva jealousy, Xiao Yanqiu, star of The Moon Opera, violently assaulted her understudy. Spurned by the troupe, she turned to teaching. Now, a rich cigarette-factory boss has offered to underwrite a restaging of the cursed opera—but only on the condition that Xiao Yanqiu return to the role of Chang’e. So she does, this time believing she has fully become the immortal moon goddess . . . Set against the drama, intrigue, jealousy, retribution, and redemption of backstage Peking opera, this “tiny, perfect novel [with] distant echoes of All About Eve” is a stunning portrait of women in a world that simultaneously reveres and restricts them (The Times, London).

The Moon Opera

Di sebuah pusat tuina—terapi pijat tradisional—di Tiongkok, para terapis disabilitas netra menjalani kehidupan yang penuh tantangan. Mereka bekerja dalam gelap, tangan mereka menjadi “mata” yang memahami dunia. Setiap sentuhan adalah upaya untuk menemukan makna, merasakan emosi, dan berhubungan dengan dunia yang jauh dari jangkauan mereka. Namun, di balik setiap sesi pijat, ada kisah yang tak terlihat—tentang rasa sakit, cinta, impian, dan harapan yang sering kali harus mereka pendam. Massage bukanlah novel biasa; karya ini telah meraih berbagai penghargaan sastra dan sinematik, termasuk Mao Dun Literature Prize untuk kontribusi besarnya dalam dunia sastra Tiongkok. Adaptasi filmnya juga menerima Silver Bear Award di Berlin International Film Festival serta menyapu enam penghargaan di Golden Horse Awards Taiwan.

Massage

Scandito efficacemente dai proverbi di Mao, dai tradimenti e dai pettegolezzi del villaggio, il romanzo di Bi Feiyu racconta con un tono inimitabile e ricco di humour, sospeso tra farsa e tragedia, la storia di tre donne e il loro tentativo di cambiare il proprio destino. Per proteggersi dall’«infinito oceano di persone» di una Cina che in fondo non gli appartiene, le sorelle Wang hanno pochi strumenti: le loro armi sono la dignità, la seduzione, l’ambizione, e con queste sperano di prendere possesso del proprio mondo, del proprio corpo, di una vita che vorrebbero diversa da quella che si sono trovate a vivere.

Le tre sorelle

Wang Daifu is blind and works as a practitioner of tuina, a traditional form of pressure-point massage, in the burgeoning metropolis of Shenzhen. His is a uniquely coveted skill, yet it is one of the few options open to the visually impaired in China. When he loses his life savings on the stock market he returns to his provincial hometown, fiancée in tow, to work for an old classmate. But the transition is not easy as Wang struggles to deal with his own career frustration, his brother's gambling troubles, and the pressures of pleasing his wife-to-be. His fellow workers have their own stories: Duhong is a former pianist whose striking beauty goes undetected by her blind colleagues; strong-headed Jin Yan travels cross-country in pursuit of a man she has never met; and Xiao Kong hides her relationship with Wang Daifu from her parents. Together these fiercely independent people are united by the challenges of their shared disability. Amid growing uncertainty, the members of this diverse community draw support from one another as they navigate their world of darkness. This stunning portrayal of disability and the strength of human character is a rare glimpse into a small yet very real component of Chinese society, from one of China's most acclaimed contemporary authors. 'I love Bi Feiyu's novels for their compassion, insight and wit; their sense of both history and the future.' Justin Torres, author of We the Animals 'Bi Feiyu's storytelling gifts are considerable.' Washington Post

In a small village in China, the Wang family has produced seven sisters in its quest to have a boy; three of the sisters emerge as the lead characters in this remarkable novel. From the small-town treachery of the village to the slogans of the Cultural Revolution to the harried pace of city life, Bi Feiyu follows the women as they strive to change the course of their destinies and battle against an “infinite ocean of people” in a China that does not truly belong to them. Yumi will use her dignity, Yuxiu her powers of seduction, and Yuyang her ambition—all in an effort to take control of their world, their bodies, and their lives. Like Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, and J.G. Ballard’s Empire of the Sun, Three Sisters transports us to and immerses us in a culture we think we know but will understand much more fully by the time we reach the end. Bi’s Moon Opera was praised by the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and other publications. In one review Lisa See said: “I hope this is the first of many of Bi’s works to come to us.” Three Sisters fulfills that wish, with its irreplaceable portrait of contemporary Chinese life and indelible story of three tragic and sometimes triumphant heroines.

Bi Feiyu

Books

Your next favorite book is out there