I finally finished reading One Man’s Bible by Gao Xingjian. It took me much longer to read than I anticipated. I read his Soul Mountain about a year or two ago and was amazed by the beauty of the writing. One Man’s Bible has that same beautiful writing but the subject matter was more difficult for me. I know practically nothing about China’s history and this book is about Gao’s fictionalized account of living through the Cultural Revolution.
I remember telling the better-half while reading Soul Mountain that I would recommend Soul Mountain but I wasn’t sure if I knew anyone who would stay with the book. Both books use a narrative device that is different from the usual first person or third person point of view. Somehow the writer manages to use all at once and it takes a lot of concentration to read. Which is not to say that I don’t know anyone who has the concentration powers that I do–which is laughable–I have none, but what I mean by that is you have to want to read the novel and not because of the story but because of the writing. I’m sure this makes no sense.
I have read other translated authors and I sometimes find those books hard to read because I feel like the translation is wonky (the cadence of the words is jumbly). I don’t have that feeling with Gao Xingjian’s work. The translator, Mabel Lee, does a wonderful job and she helps retain the artistry of the writing. It is like looking at artwork at the Freer Gallery and being struck by the grace of the art even though many of the pieces in that collection are seemingly simple. The writing in the book is like that: simple words and basic human-condition subjects but every sentence is lifted somewhere higher.
Next on tap, although I rue that it is now fashionable, is to read Ariel by Sylvia Plath and Wintering by Kate Moses. I’ve never read anything by Plath–I’m not sure how I got out of high school or college without having read her. Ariel is the collection of poems she wrote just before her death and Wintering is the fictionalized account of the last months of her life.
