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cifose's review against another edition
2.0
"Cramp" was amazing tho. "The Accident" was pretty good too.
msaari's review against another edition
3.0
Tie kiinalaisen kirjallisuuden parissa jatkuu. Edellinen Gao Xingjianilta lukemani kirja, Vapaan miehen raamattu ei täysin maistunut, mutta päätin silti tarttua Vaarin onkivapaan, koska suomennettua kiinalaista kirjallisuutta ei liiaksi asti ole ja kiinalaisuuden ymmärtäminen kiinnostaa. Niinpä siis rohkeasti kohti Kiinaa!
Vaarin onkivapa on novellikokoelma, jossa Gao Xingjian pyrkii uudistamaan novellitaidetta. "Aikakausi, jolloin novellin tärkein tehtävä oli kertoa tarina, on kauan sitten päättynyt. Myös ajatus siitä, että novellin tulisi kuvata jotakin henkilöhahmoa ja pyrkiä kattavaan, uskottavaan luonnekuvaukseen, tuntuu kovin vanhanaikaiselta", Gao muotoilee teoksen loppusanoissa. Novellien ytimessä ei on kieli itse. No, tästä näkemyksestä vaikkapa Alice Munro saattaisi olla eri mieltä, ja kenties iso osa lukijoistakin kallistuisi toiselle kannalle.
Kokoelman novellit ovat enimmäkseen 1980-luvun alkupuolella kirjoitettuja lyhyitä katkelmia, jotka kuvaavat elämää Kiinassa. Kulttuurivallankumouksen erottamat ihmiset kohtaavat toisiaan parissakin novellissa. Niminovellissa vaarille ostettu onkivapa johtaa syvälle lapsuuden muistikuviin. Novelleissa on vähänlaisesti juonivetoista tarinaa, mutta sitäkin enemmän tunnelmankuvausta. Mukana on tietysti paljon kiinalaista ajankuvaa, kulttuurivallankumouksen vaikeudet paistavat läpi monista tarinoista.
Vaarin onkivapa ei ole erityisen helppoa luettavaa. Suomalaiset sentään saavat täyden 17 novellin kattauksen, tästä on englanniksi kai pitkälti tarjolla versio, jossa on vain kuuden novellin valikoima. Jos arvostat nimenomaan tarinankerrontaa, Vaarin onkivapa kannattaa suosiolla ohittaa, mutta jos kiinalaisen tunnelman fiilistely kiinnostaa, siihen kokoelma tarjoaa monenlaisia näkökulmia.
Vaarin onkivapa on novellikokoelma, jossa Gao Xingjian pyrkii uudistamaan novellitaidetta. "Aikakausi, jolloin novellin tärkein tehtävä oli kertoa tarina, on kauan sitten päättynyt. Myös ajatus siitä, että novellin tulisi kuvata jotakin henkilöhahmoa ja pyrkiä kattavaan, uskottavaan luonnekuvaukseen, tuntuu kovin vanhanaikaiselta", Gao muotoilee teoksen loppusanoissa. Novellien ytimessä ei on kieli itse. No, tästä näkemyksestä vaikkapa Alice Munro saattaisi olla eri mieltä, ja kenties iso osa lukijoistakin kallistuisi toiselle kannalle.
Kokoelman novellit ovat enimmäkseen 1980-luvun alkupuolella kirjoitettuja lyhyitä katkelmia, jotka kuvaavat elämää Kiinassa. Kulttuurivallankumouksen erottamat ihmiset kohtaavat toisiaan parissakin novellissa. Niminovellissa vaarille ostettu onkivapa johtaa syvälle lapsuuden muistikuviin. Novelleissa on vähänlaisesti juonivetoista tarinaa, mutta sitäkin enemmän tunnelmankuvausta. Mukana on tietysti paljon kiinalaista ajankuvaa, kulttuurivallankumouksen vaikeudet paistavat läpi monista tarinoista.
Vaarin onkivapa ei ole erityisen helppoa luettavaa. Suomalaiset sentään saavat täyden 17 novellin kattauksen, tästä on englanniksi kai pitkälti tarjolla versio, jossa on vain kuuden novellin valikoima. Jos arvostat nimenomaan tarinankerrontaa, Vaarin onkivapa kannattaa suosiolla ohittaa, mutta jos kiinalaisen tunnelman fiilistely kiinnostaa, siihen kokoelma tarjoaa monenlaisia näkökulmia.
darren_cormier's review against another edition
3.0
Like most short story collections, not all are masterpieces and some of those considerably less so. The six pieces in this collection can be defined as stories in the Lydia Davis definition of the word: she calls all of her pieces stories regardless of length, topic, format, and plot. Xingjian's pieces are meditative, reflective, documentary, and often a reflection of people reacting to an event as opposed to events occurring to one or two people; how these events affect those in that moment as opposed to over time.
"The Accident" is a panoramic view of an accident at an intersection and all the reactions of various unnamed people in proximity to the event. Some of the reactions--such as the couple who after their initial shock wears off, converse about where to eat lunch, moving on with their lives--we want to condemn until we recognize ourselves in their benign indifference. How many times have we, in the face of unrelated tragedy, change our focus to our own priorities?
"The Temple" shows a couple trying to enjoy as much of their curtailed honeymoon as they can, due to the husband's company not granting him a longer time off from work. While searching for a temple in a small, remote town they encounter a man and learn of his situation.
Most of the stories I enjoyed. "The Park" was the most traditional "story" of the six, a prose play about two acquaintances meeting after a long period of absence. Despite its more traditional format, the story continues to rankle, primarily due to my distaste for the male character, not Xingjian's writing or the story's credibility. In fact, it's the stories credibility and my own recognition of the presumptuous, arrogant, mansplaining characters like him that made me dislike it so much. (To Xingjian's defense, we are meant to dislike this character, but perhaps not to the point of disliking the story.)
"In an Instant" on its surface seems like the kind of story I would like. Impressionistic, semi-surrealist depiction of events in one section of a seaside town, like a camera panning around a square to the people and environments over the course of an hour or two; all surface level, just observing the environment. Films and music and artistic experiments of this fashion I love. But the story's kaleidoscopic experiments never fully pulled me in.
A good introduction to Xingjian's work, and a welcome break to traditional storytelling formats.
"The Accident" is a panoramic view of an accident at an intersection and all the reactions of various unnamed people in proximity to the event. Some of the reactions--such as the couple who after their initial shock wears off, converse about where to eat lunch, moving on with their lives--we want to condemn until we recognize ourselves in their benign indifference. How many times have we, in the face of unrelated tragedy, change our focus to our own priorities?
"The Temple" shows a couple trying to enjoy as much of their curtailed honeymoon as they can, due to the husband's company not granting him a longer time off from work. While searching for a temple in a small, remote town they encounter a man and learn of his situation.
Most of the stories I enjoyed. "The Park" was the most traditional "story" of the six, a prose play about two acquaintances meeting after a long period of absence. Despite its more traditional format, the story continues to rankle, primarily due to my distaste for the male character, not Xingjian's writing or the story's credibility. In fact, it's the stories credibility and my own recognition of the presumptuous, arrogant, mansplaining characters like him that made me dislike it so much. (To Xingjian's defense, we are meant to dislike this character, but perhaps not to the point of disliking the story.)
"In an Instant" on its surface seems like the kind of story I would like. Impressionistic, semi-surrealist depiction of events in one section of a seaside town, like a camera panning around a square to the people and environments over the course of an hour or two; all surface level, just observing the environment. Films and music and artistic experiments of this fashion I love. But the story's kaleidoscopic experiments never fully pulled me in.
A good introduction to Xingjian's work, and a welcome break to traditional storytelling formats.
rayrace's review
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
luann's review
2.0
This started out as a solid three stars for me. The stories were nice enough, if a bit pointless. The author warns readers that his fiction "does not set out to tell a story." He isn't kidding! The stories felt a little like someone's journal entry or a personal letter to a friend written about mundane incidents. Even in the story about a couple's honeymoon, nothing eventful happens. This is true for the first three stories: "The Temple," "In the Park," and "Cramp."
I rate the next story, "The Accident," at two stars. Something does happen, but again there is no attempt at a story. We don't get to know the characters in any meaningful way or get to know the reasons behind what happens.
I absolutely hated the last two stories: "Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather" and "In an Instant." In these two stories, it felt like Gao Xingjian had written several different stories and then cut them apart and pasted the paragraphs back together at random. Either that or they were some form of uninteresting "stream of consciousness" writing. Either way, they were both much too long and not enjoyable to read at all.
I only recommend this book to those who are looking for an "X" author for an Author A-Z challenge, which is why I read this book. The first three stories are pretty painless to get through, but things go downhill from there.
I rate the next story, "The Accident," at two stars. Something does happen, but again there is no attempt at a story. We don't get to know the characters in any meaningful way or get to know the reasons behind what happens.
I absolutely hated the last two stories: "Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather" and "In an Instant." In these two stories, it felt like Gao Xingjian had written several different stories and then cut them apart and pasted the paragraphs back together at random. Either that or they were some form of uninteresting "stream of consciousness" writing. Either way, they were both much too long and not enjoyable to read at all.
I only recommend this book to those who are looking for an "X" author for an Author A-Z challenge, which is why I read this book. The first three stories are pretty painless to get through, but things go downhill from there.
carolinemeow's review
4.0
holy shit this was legitimately so eye-opening. fuck me up. i just read this in one evening
"the temple": ok, there's a temple. big deal. its ok i guess, not much substance. he has a point to this but i definitely missed it or it just doesnt resonate with me enough. why does he keep switching between 'her' and 'you.' not impressed yet
"in a park": like the dialogue in this, really interesting style. this is probs gonna be my favourite one. getting good
"cramp": the summary sounded interesting, the story was less interesting. still. food for thought, im just not thinking enough. hmm. probably worth a reread (note: this whole collection is)
"the accident": never mind, THIS might be my favourite. holy shit. also i remember right before i first moved to china angela complained about how terrible china is and as an example she mentioned this driver ran over a girl and he didnt want to have to pay the bills for her injuries (she was still alive) so he ran over her again to make sure she died. and that's what i was thinking of this whole story even tho the circumstances are quite different. and you watch how people start just not really knowing what happened and melding it with their own assumptions and changing it and it's like ohhh, oh wow. stunning.
"buying a fishing rod for my grandfather": i thought it was just nostalgia (TM) but holy shit it gets real deep and a little scary and uhhh also reminds me of my own family for sure, because my aunt and i + my little cousin used to go out fishing with bamboo poles all the time. we couldnt even catch anything worth cooking, just feeding to the cat. and the detail about the tv! my dad's village out in xinhua has those tvs too but like 5, 10 years ago they didnt even have fuckin wifi, dude, and now you drive in and they have tvs and wifi and computers and phones that arent on the wall and its like. wtf happened? but man it was so eerie. and that ending jesus christ
"in an instant": I want to be able to write like that. i got so lost but its so well done. gao convinced me by then he actually knows what hes doing as a writer like wow this dude is very good at what he does, even if it definitely wasnt quite my style at first? this sense of fluidity and everything happening and oh wow, i got quite lost.
"the temple": ok, there's a temple. big deal. its ok i guess, not much substance. he has a point to this but i definitely missed it or it just doesnt resonate with me enough. why does he keep switching between 'her' and 'you.' not impressed yet
"in a park": like the dialogue in this, really interesting style. this is probs gonna be my favourite one. getting good
"cramp": the summary sounded interesting, the story was less interesting. still. food for thought, im just not thinking enough. hmm. probably worth a reread (note: this whole collection is)
"the accident": never mind, THIS might be my favourite. holy shit. also i remember right before i first moved to china angela complained about how terrible china is and as an example she mentioned this driver ran over a girl and he didnt want to have to pay the bills for her injuries (she was still alive) so he ran over her again to make sure she died. and that's what i was thinking of this whole story even tho the circumstances are quite different. and you watch how people start just not really knowing what happened and melding it with their own assumptions and changing it and it's like ohhh, oh wow. stunning.
"buying a fishing rod for my grandfather": i thought it was just nostalgia (TM) but holy shit it gets real deep and a little scary and uhhh also reminds me of my own family for sure, because my aunt and i + my little cousin used to go out fishing with bamboo poles all the time. we couldnt even catch anything worth cooking, just feeding to the cat. and the detail about the tv! my dad's village out in xinhua has those tvs too but like 5, 10 years ago they didnt even have fuckin wifi, dude, and now you drive in and they have tvs and wifi and computers and phones that arent on the wall and its like. wtf happened? but man it was so eerie. and that ending jesus christ
"in an instant": I want to be able to write like that. i got so lost but its so well done. gao convinced me by then he actually knows what hes doing as a writer like wow this dude is very good at what he does, even if it definitely wasnt quite my style at first? this sense of fluidity and everything happening and oh wow, i got quite lost.
cindyc3689's review
3.0
Sebuah kumpulan cerpen yg indah sekaligus tidak mudah dimengerti. Kata pengantarnya mengibaratkan cerpen2 di dalamnya sebagai lukisan impresionist dengan kekuatan narasi Gao Xingjian sebagai warna-warni cat yang menangkap moment dalam kehidupan. Ungkapan yg pas sekali.
Jika ada bentuk penyajian cerita yg kurasa benar2 menantang daya pengertianku, maka itu adalah gaya stream of conciousness. Kelima cerpen di sini, sediki banyak menggunakan bentuk ini. Yang mudah dan ringan seperti di cerita Kuil dan Kram. Juga dalam cerpen Kecelakaan awalnya bernada gosip tapi diakhiri dengan penuh pesan filsafat.
Dua cerpen terakhir, Membeli Batang Pancing untuk Kakekku dan Seketika jauh-jauh lebih berat. Keduanya dengan enaknya berpindah-pindah sudut pandang pertama, kedua, ketiga tanpa peringatan pada pembacanya. Lebih parah lagi, cerita juga seenak hidungnya berpindah-pindah kisah dan tokohnya. Mungkin Batang Pancing sedikit lebih mudah dimengerti karena tema lingkungan hidupnya yg jauh lebih terbuka, namun Seketika benar-benar..... samar? membingungkan? penuh lamunan?
Mudah untuk menangkap keindahan kalimat-kalimat di kisah-kisah ini, tapi lebih rumit dan repot untuk mengerti esensi ceritanya. Seperti mengintip potongan-potongan impian seseorang tanpa benar-benar memahaminya.
Jika ada bentuk penyajian cerita yg kurasa benar2 menantang daya pengertianku, maka itu adalah gaya stream of conciousness. Kelima cerpen di sini, sediki banyak menggunakan bentuk ini. Yang mudah dan ringan seperti di cerita Kuil dan Kram. Juga dalam cerpen Kecelakaan awalnya bernada gosip tapi diakhiri dengan penuh pesan filsafat.
Dua cerpen terakhir, Membeli Batang Pancing untuk Kakekku dan Seketika jauh-jauh lebih berat. Keduanya dengan enaknya berpindah-pindah sudut pandang pertama, kedua, ketiga tanpa peringatan pada pembacanya. Lebih parah lagi, cerita juga seenak hidungnya berpindah-pindah kisah dan tokohnya. Mungkin Batang Pancing sedikit lebih mudah dimengerti karena tema lingkungan hidupnya yg jauh lebih terbuka, namun Seketika benar-benar..... samar? membingungkan? penuh lamunan?
Mudah untuk menangkap keindahan kalimat-kalimat di kisah-kisah ini, tapi lebih rumit dan repot untuk mengerti esensi ceritanya. Seperti mengintip potongan-potongan impian seseorang tanpa benar-benar memahaminya.
alarra's review
2.0
Some of the short stories – the eponymous tale, The Accident – have the punchiness that sustains the lyrical writing; the others vary between subtle, meandering, and near unreadable.
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