Buying a Fishing Rod for my Grandfather

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I mean hands up who here has been awarded a Nobel prize for literature So while I am not unhappy that I read this collection I think it just has shown me that perhaps this is not an author to my taste. We have very different opinions about literature and I guess we will have to respectfully agree to disagree! And finally, a mention should be given to the translator Mabel Lee.

The work of translators is an absolutely awe inspiring skill. To try to get into the author's head, their soul. Feel what it is they were feeling, what it is they want the reader to feel and to somehow translate that to a whole other language Especially when so many times there just aren't direct translations for colloquial sayings, how different languages structure sentences differently, what do you give prominence to? When I was reading these stories the language felt so natural. It felt like I was reading exactly the words the author meant me to be reading.

At no time did I wonder was this something that could have been lost in translation so I think a massive amount of credit should go to the success of the translation. Sadly for me this was just two stars View all 6 comments. Mar 17, Sidharth Vardhan rated it liked it Shelves: The stories do not have such old-school things like plot or characters. Instead they are write ups written with intention of exciting emotions in readers or so says the translator's note.

I normally like that sort of writing but most of these stories didn't work for me. Keeping with Goodreads tradation, I'm gonna blame the translation. The third star is entirely for titular story which was the only one that worked for me. Jul 20, Rob Baker rated it did not like it Shelves: In her notes at the end of this story collection, the translator says that Gao "warns readers that his fiction does not set out to tell a story" The pieces are sometimes "Temple", "In the Park", "Cramp" slice-of-life moments of people seemingly seeking unfindable happiness; other times "In an Instant they are dream-like collections of disconnected images.

This author won the Nobel Prize for Literature in , and I have to think -- at least based on this book and the bit I In her notes at the end of this story collection, the translator says that Gao "warns readers that his fiction does not set out to tell a story" This author won the Nobel Prize for Literature in , and I have to think -- at least based on this book and the bit I've read about him--that it's more because of his political background than because of his writing per se.

This is a beautifully written collection of short stories that reflect both the day to day and the utterly magical and enlightening moments in life from the discovery of a secluded temple to near death experiences and moments of utter devastation.

These snippets of time, experiences and reminiscences show the pleasure that can be found anywhere and the appreciation for the little things that can be discovered in the simpliest, rawest and most humbling moments. This is a surprisingly enjoyable co This is a beautifully written collection of short stories that reflect both the day to day and the utterly magical and enlightening moments in life from the discovery of a secluded temple to near death experiences and moments of utter devastation. This is a surprisingly enjoyable collection of simple life stories yet the lack of purpose to each left me feeling a little flat with a distinct unsatisfied feeling and wanting to know more.

BrainDrain: Buying a Fishing Rod for my Grandfather - Gao Xingjian

This is deliberate on behalf of Xingjian who wrote these not to tell a story but to provide interest through his use of language and the 'imitation of reality'. In this he certainly does succeed. Paras lukemani novellikokoelma, aivan kevyesti. Karya lain penulis ini, novel Gunung Jiwa juga sudah susah banget nyarinya. Banyak pembaca baru macam kita-kita ini akhirnya bingung saat hendak mencicipi rasa dalam karya si penulis peraih Nobel yang memilih eksil ke Prancis ini.

Apa yang khas dari karya-karyanya? Apakah senada dengan Mo Yan, ataukah ada rasa asli lain yang khas dari penulis asal Tiongkok ini?

Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather

Membaca cerpen-cerpen di buku ini, kita seperti diajak menanjak menuju ke sebuah puncak gunung. Awalnya lumayan mudah dan dengan pemandangan yang indah. Etape kedua sudah agak menanjak. Bagian selanjutnya lumayan menanjak, dan bergitu berturut-turut hingga menanjaknya ekstrem banget sampai ngos-ngosan bacanya. Dua cerpen terakhir adalah yang paling menguras pikiran, mana panjang pula itu dua cerpen ck ck ck. Akhirnya, setelah menamatkan membaca seluruh cerpen di buku ini dengan dua cerpen yang sedemikian sulit diikuti di bagian akhir , pembaca akan mengetahui jawaban tentang mengapa buku ini begini.

Buku ini menjadi contoh sekaligus bukti bahwa evolusi dalam penulisan fiksi ternyata masih belum selesai. Cerpen-cerpen di buku ini mengisahkan tentang hal-hal yang biasa-biasa saja. Ingatan atau memori tampaknya menjadi jiwa kalau bukan menghantui buku ini. Tentang anak yang membelikan pancing untuk kakeknya, tentang kecelakaan yang menimpa seorang pria, dan tentang pria muda yang membaca bukunya di pantai dan lalu entah kenapa sampai ke mana-mana.

Secara tema, kesederhanaan cerpen-cerpen ini mengingatkan saya pada cerpennya Kawabata, hanya saja lebih panjang dan sedikit lebih agak kompleks. Yang bikin terkejut dari cerpen-cerpen di buku ini adalah cara penulis bernarasi. Bayangkan ketika sedang hanyut dalam paragraf ketiga, pembaca tiba-tiba disuguhi cerita baru di paragraf keempat, lalu ceritanya ganti lagi di paragraf ke enam.

Begitu seterusnya sampai cerita ditutup dengan penggalan dari cerita di paragraf pertama. Dan campur-aduk cerita ini terjadi dalam satu cerpen, di mana satu paragraf dengan paragraf lain sepertinya tidak secara langsung terkait tapi memang terkait. Iya, saya sudah bingung sejak lima hari lalu, tapi saya ampet saja sendiri. Untungnya, penulis berbaik hati dengan memberikan bonus tulisan tentang menulis di bab paling akhir buku ini. Walau masih lumayan berat, Gao Xingjian memaparkan teknik menulisnya yang sepertinya acak-acakan tetapi sebenarnya tidak. Ia menyebut teknik menulis paragraf yang tidak saling bersambung ini sebagai hal yang sah-sah saja dilakukan seorang penulis atas nama kreativitas.

Apa yang dilakukan Gao ini mungkin boleh-boleh saja, tetapi apakah tekniknya ini akan bisa diterima oleh pembaca, ceritanya lain lagi. Yang jelas, setelah membaca pemaparan di bab terakhir ini, saya ingin membaca ulang cerpen-cerpen di buku ini, terutama dua cerpen paling akhir yang bikin senewen itu. Pengarang yang berhasil, salah satunya, adalah pengarang yang bisa memaksa pembaca untuk membaca ulang karyanya lagi dan lagi.

Saya ingin membaca ulang kumcer-kumcer di buku setelah mendapatkan amunisi dari bab terakhir di buku ini. Bukan karena suka sih, lebih karena penasaran. Siapa tahu, setelah membaca kumcer ini untuk kedua kalinya, bintangnya naik jadi empat. Pembaca boleh dong berevolusi. Dec 02, Jim rated it liked it. I decided to read him on two counts: So you can probably look upon this book as a sampler. There is no plot, as found in most fiction, and anything of interest to be found in it is inherent in the language itself. Basically they get on a train and see where it takes them. It all felt so different from the time when we were graduates sent to work in the countryside.

Now we were just visitors passing through, tourists, and the complicated relationships between the people here had nothing to do with us. Inevitably, this made us city dwellers feel somewhat superior. This was a much better piece and one I found I could relate to. White-crested waves on the ink green sea.

The surging waves surround him, but no fishing boats are at work.

Buying a Fishing Rod for my Grandfather

Turning his body, he is borne up by the waves. Up ahead on the grey-black sea is a dark spot, far in the distance. He drops down between the waves and can no longer see the surface of the sea. The sloping sea is black and shiny, smoother than satin. The cramp in his stomach gets worse. Lying on his back and floating on the water, he massages the hard spot on his abdomen until it hurts less. Diagonally in front, above his head, is a feathery cloud; up there, the wind must be even stronger.

And then things go from bad to worse and he encounters the jellyfish. And, again, one that could happen in any ocean across the globe. A bicycle fitted with an extra wheel for a baby-buggy with a red-and-blue checkered cloth shade is crossing diagonally from the other side of the road, and a man is riding it. Coming from the opposite direction is a two-carriage electric trolley bus that is going quite fast, but not too fast. Most of this story consists of comments from the crowd. Was there an accident? At first this felt like it was going to be a straightforward story: I find an older man and ask him where the lake used to be.

The lake that was filled in. Oh, that lake, the lake that was filled in is right here. He points with his foot. This used to be the lake. Was there once a stone bridge nearby? West Germany —and I thought, What the heck? In her review in The Guardian Julia Lovell has this to say about this story: I lost interest about halfway through.

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Seagulls are circling in the sky, screeching noisily. However, understanding or not is unimportant, what is important is that in the blue sky on this island they can soar as they will and can call out noisily. Sebuah kumpulan cerpen yg indah sekaligus tidak mudah dimengerti. Kata pengantarnya mengibaratkan cerpen2 di dalamnya sebagai lukisan impresionist dengan kekuatan narasi Gao Xingjian sebagai warna-warni cat yang menangkap moment dalam kehidupan.

Ungkapan yg pas sekali. Jika ada bentuk penyajian cerita yg kurasa benar2 menantang daya pengertianku, maka itu adalah gaya stream of conciousness. Kelima cerpen di sini, sediki banyak menggunakan bentuk ini.

Yang mudah dan ringan seperti di cerita Kuil Sebuah kumpulan cerpen yg indah sekaligus tidak mudah dimengerti. Yang mudah dan ringan seperti di cerita Kuil dan Kram. Juga dalam cerpen Kecelakaan awalnya bernada gosip tapi diakhiri dengan penuh pesan filsafat. Keduanya dengan enaknya berpindah-pindah sudut pandang pertama, kedua, ketiga tanpa peringatan pada pembacanya.

Lebih parah lagi, cerita juga seenak hidungnya berpindah-pindah kisah dan tokohnya. Mungkin Batang Pancing sedikit lebih mudah dimengerti karena tema lingkungan hidupnya yg jauh lebih terbuka, namun Seketika benar-benar Mudah untuk menangkap keindahan kalimat-kalimat di kisah-kisah ini, tapi lebih rumit dan repot untuk mengerti esensi ceritanya. Seperti mengintip potongan-potongan impian seseorang tanpa benar-benar memahaminya. Oct 14, Radit Panjapiyakul rated it really liked it.

Jan 18, Nazmi Yaakub rated it liked it Shelves: MEMBACA karya pengarang yang pernah membakar bagasinya yang mengandungi sejumlah manuskripnya pada era Revolusi Kebudayaan China bukan pengalaman yang menyenangkan. Kita seolah-olah dihela oleh Gao Xingjian yang menerima Hadiah Nobel Kesusasteraan pada itu, sebelum dibiarkan terkontang-kanting dalam dunia imaginasinya untuk menebak maksudnya.

Namun, ia tidaklah memberikan pengalaman yang menyenakkan sepenuhnya kerana adakalanya seperti dalam sepotong cerpennya, In The Park , kita MEMBACA karya pengarang yang pernah membakar bagasinya yang mengandungi sejumlah manuskripnya pada era Revolusi Kebudayaan China bukan pengalaman yang menyenangkan. Namun, ia tidaklah memberikan pengalaman yang menyenakkan sepenuhnya kerana adakalanya seperti dalam sepotong cerpennya, In The Park , kita bakal diawang-awangkan oleh jalinan dua jalur cinta; satu adalah nostalgia terhadap cinta yang diremukkan oleh zaman lampau, manakala satu lagi cinta yang bakal dikecaikan oleh zaman kini.

Ajaibnya dua jalur yang berbeza dengan watak yang berlainan itu, seolah-olah bermula dan bakal berakhir pada garis yang sama sehingga identiti watak itu tidak lagi menjadi penting dan kita sendiri akan hilang punca dalam jalinan dialog yang sudah tidak terikat pada pengucapnya. The Accident pula sebenarnya adalah satu peristiwa kemalangan yang biasa di sebuah kota raya tetapi Gao menjadikan peristiwa itu sangat mengesankan tetapi dengan perlahan-lahan, beliau menyedarkan peristiwa yang luar biasa pada satu ketika, bakal luput sehingga kita sendiri pun pada hujungnya seolah-olah terlupa terhadap peristiwa berkenaan.

Membaca The Accident seolah-olah kita dihakimi oleh Gao terhadap tanggapan kita dalam kehidupan rutin yang serba laju di kota yang serba deras ini. Cerpen Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather yang menjadi judul kumpulan cerpen ini pula menghela nostalgia watak terhadap suasana desanya melalui perjalanan imaginasinya yang dilatari perubahan zaman yang sangat mengejutkan. Kita seolah-olah penumpang sebuah kenderaan masa yang bergerak laju dengan kiri dan kanan kita adalah zaman yang sentiasa berubah.

Troppe cose, in questi racconti, sembrano non funzionare a dovere. Nov 22, Kenneth rated it it was ok. In the afterword it is remarked upon that "Gao warns readers that his fiction does not set out to tell a story. A causa di alcuni problemi personali, e che certamente non interessano i "buoni lettori", ma che hanno influenzato negativamente la fruizione e il regolare andamento di lettura, ho mal assimilato questo testo.

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Mi riservo tuttavia di rileggere in futuro questa raccolta, scevro dalle mie afflizioni. Ba, mai mult, ultimul text este o alegorie a clipei din care Deloc entuziasmat. Join to find the hottest teen books, connect with your favorite YA authors and meet new friends who share your reading interests. Read new romance book reviews, posts from your favorite authors, samples, exciting digital first publications and e-book specials.

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These six stories by Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian transport the reader to moments where the fragility of love and life, and the haunting power of memory, are beautifully unveiled. In "The Temple," the narrator's acute and mysterious anxiety overshadows the delirious happiness of an outing with his new wife on their honeymoon. In "The Cramp," a man narrowly escapes drowning in the sea, only to find that no one even noticed his absence.

In the titlestory, the narrator attempts to relieve his homesickness only to find that he is lost in a labyrinth of childhood memories. Everywhere in this collection are powerful psychological portraits of characters whose unarticulated hopes and fears betray the never-ending presence of the past in their present lives. Thanks for signing up! We've emailed you instructions for claiming your free e-book.

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