''Boy in the Twilight: Stories of the Hidden China'' is a collection of thirteen short stories written by
Yu Hua
Yu Hua (; born April 3, 1960, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province) is a Chinese author. Shortly after his debut as a fiction writer in 1983, his first breakthrough came in 1987, when he released the short story '' On the Road at Age Eighteen''. Yu H ...
in the mid-1990s,
[ - Print: November 1, 2013.] and published in 1999.
[ - Updated 12 March 2014] The English version, translated by Allan H. Barr, was published in 2014 by
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...
.
[ This was the sixth work of his that was translated into English.]Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...
.[
'']Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' stated that the subtitle of the book likely refers to ordinary Chinese people, particularly "unimportant people" and how they think about their circumstances after events of varying dramatic weight occur.Boston Review
''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...
'' stated that the focus on ordinary people differs from some novels of Yu Hua focusing on "larger-than-life" and satirizing China that had been previously translated into English.[ Aerled Doyle of '']That's Shanghai
''that's Shanghai'' is a monthly English-language listings and entertainment magazine published in China.
As of May 2020, the print magazine had a staff of 30 and a circulation of 62,500 with 40 percent of its readership being expatriates. The m ...
'' stated that even though there was "darkness" present, the book was "not depressing".Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' stated that the stories were "spare and minimalist" and had "disquieting tension" due to ample amounts of "violence and mistrust".[ Jonathan Liebson of '']Time Out New York
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'' stated that many of the stories have "the small, subtle gestures of his characters".[
]
Contents
In "Why There was No Music", a man named Horsie visits his friend Guo Bin and borrows some videotapes from him. Horsie finds in one tape that his wife, Lü Yuan, had sex with Guo Bin. During the story, Lü Yuan is not in the city.[
]
Reception
Amy Russel of the ''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' ranked the book 4.5 of 5 stars.[
''Publishers Weekly'' ranked it as a "PW Pick".][
''Kirkus Reviews'' gave a positive review, stating that they were "quite well-composed".][
Doyle stated that "This is another fine book from a writer China is lucky to have, and another book that is going to pass the test of time."][ He stated it was a "pleasure to read".][
]
References
{{reflist
External links
* Yu, Hua.
Short story: Boy in the twilight by Yu Hua
" ''Prospect Magazine
''Prospect'' is a monthly British general-interest magazine, specialising in politics, economics and current affairs. Topics covered include British and other European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the medi ...
''. Posted June 19, 2014.
Chinese books