Reading List
Ma Jian
Chinese-Born British Novelist
Ma Jian is a Chinese-born British writer, born in Qingdao in 1953. He worked as a photojournalist in Beijing, and in 1983 his paintings were denounced and he was detained. A government ban on his books followed the 1987 publication of Stick Out Your Tongue, and he has been denied entry to China since 2011. His novels include The Noodle Maker, Red Dust and Beijing Coma, and Red Dust won the 2002 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. He lives in London with his partner and translator, Flora Drew. His picks here are five works of Chinese literature, from the ancient Songs of the South to Yang Jisheng’s Tombstone.
One Man’s Bible
by Gao Xingjian · 2003 · Fiction
“He combines reality, history and literature very well.” — via Interview, May 2012
Tombstone
The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962
by Yang Jisheng · 2013 · History
“It's absolutely terrific, and I really admire him.” — via Interview, May 2012
Three Kingdoms
A Historical Novel (abridged)
by Luo Guanzhong · 2020 · Classics
“A reader can harvest a lot of history and knowledge from this book, because it chronicles all aspects of China.” — via Interview, May 2012
The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China
The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun
by Lu Xun · 2010 · Classics
“Lu Xun used Ah Q to express the character of China at the time. It's very representative even of China today.” — via Interview, May 2012
The Songs of the South
An Ancient Chinese Anthology of Poems by Qu Yuan and Other Poets
by Qu Yuan · 1985 · Classics
“I think the story of Qu Yuan is quite possibly the story of all genuine, non state-approved Chinese authors.” — via Interview, May 2012
