In the new issue of the New Yorker, John Updike reviews two new Chinese novels, “My Life as Emperor,” by Su Tong and “Big Breasts & Wide Hips,” by Mo Yan:
China, experts agree, is the nation of the future; its immense population, its acrobatic blend of totalitarian controls and booming fre enterprise, and the commercial and intellectual success its emigrants have enjoyed in nation from Malaysia to the United States all augur impending global dominance. In literature however, the Chinese mainland, as far as Western ears go, is pretty quiet.
Read the full review. A Washington Post review of Mo’s book is here. A review of Su’s book in the Independent is here.
