Urumqi mosque: Missing in "English"
Wang Gang’s semi-autobiographical novel, English (英格力士), about growing up in Xinjiang is out in (you guessed it!) English, and getting a fair amount of reviews. But this one by Josh Summers touches on a few sensitive “S” words, including “segregation”:
“Books about China’s Cultural Revolution are nothing new, but very few — if any — have painted a portrait of life within the borders of Xinjiang during this time. The opportunity for Wang Gang to open the doors to this mysterious province is overlooked, leaving readers no more educated about Xinjiang than if the book had been set in another backwoods province in China.
As an example, during this period in Xinjiang’s history when minorities were actually the majority, it comes as a surprise that there is only one minority character depicted in the entire novel and even she is not a pure minority. Ahjitai, a mix of Uyghur and Han, is a teacher whose beauty, not ethnicity, lands her an important role in the story. Any mention of the Muslim faith, a very important aspect of Urumqi’s architecture as well as everyday life in Xinjiang, is omitted as if it didn’t even exist. Wang Gang, when asked why he chose to ignore the ethnic flavor of Xinjiang, said that he had no need to mention it. ‘I’m not a Muslim and the lifestyle referred to in the book didn’t have much to do with Muslims.’
Unfortunately the lifestyle which he refers to — that of segregation — was (and still is to a degree) common between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang. The story of Love Liu is an accurate portrayal of how much a Han boy of his family’s social status might have interacted with his Uyghur neighbors.”
For Josh Summer’s full review, click here
For the Literary Saloon’s review, click here
For a review of the book + an in-depth interview with the translators, check out “Growing up Han in a Fictional Xinjiang”
“I loved this book and can’t stop talking about it. But it’s wrenching and merciless and, though fictional, rooted in historical truth and based on the life of its author, Wang Gang.” Or so says the Washington Post review by Carolyn See…
And interviews of the author: At Cityweekend, Urbanatomy, and China Daily’s somewhat bizarre interview with Wang Gang about his new book, “Wang Gang Talks English but it Comes out as Riddles”
…and in order to understand what China Daily’s interview with Wang really means, see “Fictional Xinjiang Novel Reveals State Insecurities”
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