The Book of Shanghai
(2020)A City in Short Fiction
An anthology of stories edited by Dai Congrong and Jin Li
As the end of the world arrives in downtown Shanghai, one man’s only wish is to return a library book...
When a publisher agrees to let a star author use his company’s attic to write in, little does he suspect this will become the author’s permanent residence...
As Shanghai succumbs to a seemingly apocalyptic deluge, a man takes refuge in his bathtub, only to find himself, moments later, floating through the city's streets...
The characters in this literary exploration of one of the world’s biggest cities are all on a mission. Whether it is responding to events around them, or following some impulse of their own, they are defined by their determination – a refusal to lose themselves in a city that might otherwise leave them anonymous, disconnected, alone.
From the neglected mother whose side-hustle in collecting sellable waste becomes an obsession, to the schoolboy determined to end a long-standing feud between his family and another, these characters show a defiance that reminds us why Shanghai – despite its hurtling economic growth –remains an epicentre for individual creativity.
Edited by Jin Li & Dai Congrong.
Translated by Lee Anderson, Yu Yan Chen, Jack Hargreaves, Paul Harris, Frances Nichols, Christopher Macdonald, Carson Ramsdell, Josh Stenberg, Katherine Tse, and Helen Wang.
Praise for The Book of Shanghai:
'A near-perfect collection.' - Manchester Review of Books
'A collection of stories set in present-day Shanghai that resonate across time and cultures.' - China Daily
'A panoply of modes and styles, from the deeply realistic to the bizarre and outlandish.' - Words Without Borders
Genre: General Fiction
When a publisher agrees to let a star author use his company’s attic to write in, little does he suspect this will become the author’s permanent residence...
As Shanghai succumbs to a seemingly apocalyptic deluge, a man takes refuge in his bathtub, only to find himself, moments later, floating through the city's streets...
The characters in this literary exploration of one of the world’s biggest cities are all on a mission. Whether it is responding to events around them, or following some impulse of their own, they are defined by their determination – a refusal to lose themselves in a city that might otherwise leave them anonymous, disconnected, alone.
From the neglected mother whose side-hustle in collecting sellable waste becomes an obsession, to the schoolboy determined to end a long-standing feud between his family and another, these characters show a defiance that reminds us why Shanghai – despite its hurtling economic growth –remains an epicentre for individual creativity.
Edited by Jin Li & Dai Congrong.
Translated by Lee Anderson, Yu Yan Chen, Jack Hargreaves, Paul Harris, Frances Nichols, Christopher Macdonald, Carson Ramsdell, Josh Stenberg, Katherine Tse, and Helen Wang.
Praise for The Book of Shanghai:
'A near-perfect collection.' - Manchester Review of Books
'A collection of stories set in present-day Shanghai that resonate across time and cultures.' - China Daily
'A panoply of modes and styles, from the deeply realistic to the bizarre and outlandish.' - Words Without Borders
Genre: General Fiction
Used availability for Dai Congrong's The Book of Shanghai