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anhtran221 's review for:
The Republic of Wine
by Mo Yan
Mo Yan is writing a story about an investigator, who goes to Liquorland to investigate the rumors of little boys being eaten as a delicacy. He takes breaks in writing this story and keeps correspondence with someone who claims to be a PhD candidate, a Doctor of liquor studies. He sends the authors stories to critique and help publish. The letters are various meta arguments about interpretation of art and literature, censorship, and liquor. The investigator's story is about a man trying to uncover corruption, and being consumed by it.
The book is satirical with magical realism elements. My critique of this book would be the same thing the author says about these stories, "that it lacks a consistency of style, that it’s too capricious, that the characters aren’t well developed, and that sort of thing". The short stories range from mildly interesting to just meandering ramblings with no clear direction that I could glean from. Maybe something got lost in translation and maybe there were cultural significances I just didn't understand, so I'll give it a 2. As the novel goes on, the writing felt more and more incoherent, which may be the point, because it seems like they've been drinking?, but it's tortuous to read.
Quotes
"In the nationwide craze over getting rich, our Liquorland leaders had a unique vision, a pioneering inspiration, a singular plan to put us on the road to wealth. My friends, ladies and gentlemen, nothing in this world, I think you’ll agree, matches food and drink in importance. Why else would man have a mouth, if not to eat and drink? So people who come to Liquorland will eat and drink well. Let them eat for variety, eat for pleasure, eat for addiction. Let them drink for variety, drink for pleasure, drink for addiction. Let them realize that there’s more to food and drink than the mere sustaining of life, that through food and drink they can learn the true meaning of life, can gain awareness of the philosophy of human existence."
" She first stressed that a chef’s heart is made of steel and that a chef should never waste emotions. Rather than being human, the babies we are about to slaughter and cook are small animals in human form that are, based upon strict, mutual agreement, produced to meet the special needs of Liquorland’s developing economy and prosperity. In essence, they are no different than the platypuses swimming in the tank waiting to be slaughtered."
The book is satirical with magical realism elements. My critique of this book would be the same thing the author says about these stories, "that it lacks a consistency of style, that it’s too capricious, that the characters aren’t well developed, and that sort of thing". The short stories range from mildly interesting to just meandering ramblings with no clear direction that I could glean from. Maybe something got lost in translation and maybe there were cultural significances I just didn't understand, so I'll give it a 2. As the novel goes on, the writing felt more and more incoherent, which may be the point, because it seems like they've been drinking?, but it's tortuous to read.
Quotes
Spoiler
"In the nationwide craze over getting rich, our Liquorland leaders had a unique vision, a pioneering inspiration, a singular plan to put us on the road to wealth. My friends, ladies and gentlemen, nothing in this world, I think you’ll agree, matches food and drink in importance. Why else would man have a mouth, if not to eat and drink? So people who come to Liquorland will eat and drink well. Let them eat for variety, eat for pleasure, eat for addiction. Let them drink for variety, drink for pleasure, drink for addiction. Let them realize that there’s more to food and drink than the mere sustaining of life, that through food and drink they can learn the true meaning of life, can gain awareness of the philosophy of human existence."
" She first stressed that a chef’s heart is made of steel and that a chef should never waste emotions. Rather than being human, the babies we are about to slaughter and cook are small animals in human form that are, based upon strict, mutual agreement, produced to meet the special needs of Liquorland’s developing economy and prosperity. In essence, they are no different than the platypuses swimming in the tank waiting to be slaughtered."