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As one of Gao Xingjian's characters remarks, if a fiction writer could know the true stories of the people he passes on the street, he would be amazed. Surely the Nobel laureate's own story, which forms the basis of Soul Mountain, is worthy of amazement. In 1983 Gao was diagnosed with lung cancer, the disease that had killed his father. At the same time, he had been threatened with arrest for his counterrevolutionary writings and was preparing to flee Beijing for the remote regions of southwest China. Shortly before his departure, however, the condemned man got at least a partial reprieve: a second set of x-rays revealed no cancer at all. On the heels of this extraordinary redemption, he began the circuitous journey that would lead him to the sacred (and possibly mythical) mountain of Lingshan--and to this daring, historically resonant novel.
A destination chosen arbitrarily, at the suggestion of a fellow traveler, the elusive Lingshan becomes rich with meaning for the narrator of Soul Mountain. Meanwhile, the narrator himself shows a tendency to go forth and multiply. First he divides into You and I. Then You generates yet a third voice, a somewhat simple but intense young woman named She, followed by He--and none of these personae can resist the elemental lure of the sacred site. Indeed, the search for Lingshan becomes a metaphor for all spiritual striving:
Would it be better to go along the main road? It will take longer travelling by the main road? After making some detours you will understand in your heart? Once you understand in your heart you will find it as soon as you look for it? The important thing is to be sincere of heart? If your heart is sincere then your wish will be granted?Along the way, I and You mourn the devastations of the Cultural Revolution, when thousands of monuments, temples, and graves were reduced to rubble. The obliteration of these reminders of the dead becomes a torment to the narrators of the novel, who struggle to assert their individuality--itself a proscribed act in Communist China--against what they see as a false and brutal ideal that has swept away history, literature, and tradition as decisively as it has destroyed the ancient forests. (At one point Gao describes the sad spectacle of the few remaining pandas, who wander a shrinking woodland wearing electronic transmitters.) Seamlessly translated by the Australian scholar Mabel Lee, Soul Mountain is a masterpiece of self-observation set against a soulful denunciation of "progress" and practicality. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Gao Xingjian was almost unknown in this country when he won this year's Nobel prize. Gao, who lives in exile in Paris, was embroiled in controversy in China in the 1980s because of his plays. This novel is his largest and perhaps most personal work. Around the time Gao's plays were arousing controversy, he was diagnosed with lung cancerDfalsely, as it turned out. The "detestable omniscient self" of the Gao-like narrator sharing these circumstances goes partly underground by getting out of Beijing and going to various underdeveloped regions of China. Officially, Gao is gathering folk songs and tales, but underneath that task we discern a desire to reconnect with the fate of his family, which, like so many others, was fragmented by the revolution. The book itself is narrated in two voices: a rational first person "I" and an emotional second person "you." Gao stays with park rangers, old friends and Daoist monks. The "you" wanders a more fantastic, otherworldly Chinese landscape, looking for LingshanDthe "soul mountain" of the title. To the second person is allotted a series of frenzied sexual encounters with a series of rebellious women. Within this baggy structure, there are repeated memories of the horrors of the Cultural Revolution, episodes concerning "wild men" (the Chinese equivalent of yeti), reflections on China's environmental degradation and comments on old ruins. Seeking out old singers and shamans like a connoisseur of extinct cultures, Gao has created a sui generis work, one that, in combining story, reminiscence, meditation and journalism, warily comes to terms with the shocks of both Maoism and capitalism. Agent, Georges Borchardt. (Dec)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Expression of human life,
By sayam (india) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soul Mtn Austrl Ed (Paperback)
Gao Xingjian's novel is a masterpiece.It manifests the essential truth about human life-We cannot live in solitude,we are mortal human beings who can never live in estrangement.We need the world with all its amneties, entertainments.
4.0 out of 5 stars
"In the face of misfortune man is nothing.",
By
This review is from: Soul Mountain (Paperback)
Alluring, exasperating, frustrating, and interesting: these are only a couple adjectives that often characterize reading Gao Xingjian's SOUL MOUNTAIN. The premise is straightforward but Xingjian's approach tends to bring out the best and worst; either readers are profoundly confused or delightfully entertained. One thing is for certain, this is not the type of book that can be plowed through and digested in a rapid manner, rather one is frequently commanded to slowly ponder the narrative and just let the passages and images sink in. Only in this manner does the true essence of this book shine, in my own experience.The protagonist of SOUL MOUNTAIN is largely autobiographical. After being wrongly diagnosed with lung cancer the protagonist sets out on a soul-searching trip through the remote mountainous southern province of Sichuan. As he wonders through the mountains he is determined to travel to Soul Mountain whose existence is debatable. In his search he meets local people and studies their folk traditions and legends, as would an anthropologist, a writer and an intellectual. Set on the periphery of the Han civilization (ethnic Chinese) these cultures are often subjected to Chinese exclusion and ignorance. What often makes this book a convoluted reading experience is that fact that there is little continuity between the chapters. The narrative jumps around and it is difficult to grasp any type of chronological order. Furthermore, there is little assurance that there aren't multiple narratives in different times and places. At first glance SOUL MOUNTAIN can be ascertained as a jumbled mess with a dreamy-type feel. These aspects might be enough to discourage the reader, but that shouldn't result in the rejection of the book. Patience and deep reflection created a memorable reading experience for me. I recommended this book to others, especially those interested in Chinese or experimental literature.
3.0 out of 5 stars
This requires a forgiving attention span.,
By Sophie (astoria, ny) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soul Mountain (Paperback)
I'm a pretty avid reader of foreign novels and classics. I love Ha Jin and pretty much all other Chinese authors I've read. I've enjoyed other intricate novels, with twists and turns that don't immediately or ever make sense. This book however, I found too confusing, like reading one of those "choose your-own-ending" books for children all the way through. I often didn't know what was going on, and it made me feel rather stupid. I didn't feel that the well-written and emotive prose was worth the non-existent plot. Plus there were some weird feelings about a female character(s?) that were pretty one-dimensional. Some people may like reading a few pages before figuring out where and when the author is (be it his emotional state now, travelling,etc.), and sometimes that's enjoyable, but I didn't feel comfortable with this book. I wouldn't recommend it, and I wouldn't buy this author again.
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