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BI FEIYU
MOON OPERA (L'OPERA DE LA LUNE)
Longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction
Prize 2008
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Opera singer Xiao Yanqiu possesses the cold beauty of the legendary
Chang’E, character from the famous Moon Opera, who took
a pill that made her immortal before flying to the moon where
she lived in frozen solitude.
Xiao’s heart burns with passion for her art, and the regret
of having, in the prime of her youth, ruined her career as opera
singer. Twenty years later, she is offered the chance once more
to play the role of the moon goddess. At what cost will Xiao become
she who evokes the impossible human desire to escape one’s
destiny?
This strong and moving work from Bi Feiyu draws the reader into
the backstage politics of the Peking opera, where you have to
sing while hounded by earthly worries about money and maniplulation.
But above all Bi Feiyu paints the portrait of a woman who, through
the force of her own will, tries to go beyond herself in fusing
with the image art’s mirror gives her.
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 'MOON
OPERA... approaches the problem between art and the market place,
or between cultural institutions and the media, themes evidently
connected to the development of capitalism in China... Bi Feiyu
doesn't hesitate to rebuff the majority of his compatriots with
a great perplexity opposed to the evolution of the country: "We
are richer, but are we happier?" Even if the author is not
a pessimist, the odds are that his characters would reply in the
negative.' Le Monde
'Bi Feiyu demonstrates in his own manner
that in China, today, one can be free, even within the system.'
Liberation
'The reader finds himself easily drawn
into the very coded universe of Chinese opera, and experiences
a medley of feelings, from curiosity for this little-known art
for us westerners, to a growing feeling through the novel of scorn,
compassion and pity for the heroine… A real moment of pleasure.'
Asia News
Material: Chinese, French and
English editions (115 pages).
Originally published in China by Zuojiachubanshe.
Sales: Editions Philippe
Picquier France; Zuojia Chubanshe China; Karl Blessing Germany;
De Geus Holland; Dogan Turkey; Harcourt Brace USA; Munhakdongne
Korea; SAQI Books UK; Verdecielo Spain. German radio dramatisation
rights sold to WDR. |
THREE SISTERS (TROIS SOEURS)
This vivid novel where tragedy often
adopts the mantle of farce is about power, the demonic desire to
dominate others that possesses people. Whether it is in the village
of the Wang family, where life is attuned to the rhythm of work
in the fields and the slogans of the Cultural Revolution, or in
the Peking of the 1980s, no one is prepared to be just a wave in
the 'infinite ocean of people'.
If Bi Feiyu often makes fun of the pitiable spinelessness of people,
he devotes himself with an almost loving attention and amazing empathy,
to the characters of three women. Three sisters make every effort
to change the course of their destinies, in a China that does not
belong to them. Yumi uses her dignity, Yuxiu her seductive powers,
and Yuyang her desire for success. These strong and passionate beings,
who try with great determination to establish their power over the
world and over their own bodies, the author has chosen to 'regarder
longtemps', with a sensitivity that plucks the heart-strings. |
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'This novel is a valuable document to
aid our understanding of daily life as it carried on in a recent time
of terror.' Le Temps
'Brilliantly confirms the forty-year-old novelist’s status
as a highly accomplished writer.' La Vie Ouvriere
'With a great sense of relevance and sensitivity, Bi Feiyu
depicts these strong, passionate figures, who strive with determination
to retain a certain power over their world and their own bodies.' Axelle
Material: Chinese, French and Spanish editions (347
pages in French).
Originally published in China & Taiwan.
Sales: Editions Philippe Picquier France; Dogan Turkey; Harcourt
Brace USA; Munhakdongne Korea; SAQI Books UK; Verdecielo Spain.
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BI FEIYU is one of the
most respected authors and screenwriters in China today. He was
born in 1964 in Xinghua, in the province of Jiangsu, China. He started
to write early on, and worked as a journalist for a newspaper in
Nanjing. He also began writing poetry, and then novels, several
of which have been awarded literary prizes, including the Xu Lun
prize 1995-6. He co-wrote the film Shanghai Triad, which
was directed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing,
Feiyu often describes the confrontation between the individual and
history - both personal and collective. |
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