{"product_id":"a-dictionary-of-maqiao-3","title":"A Dictionary of Maqiao","description":"From the daring imagination of one of China’s greatest living novelists comes a work of startling power and originality–the story of a young man “displaced” to a small village in rural China during the 1960s. Told in the format of a dictionary, with a series of vignettes disguised as entries, A Dictionary of Maqiao is a novel of bold invention–and a fascinating, comic, deeply moving journey through the dark heart of the Cultural Revolution.\nEntries trace the wisdom and absurdities of Maqiao: the petty squabbles, family grudges, poverty, infidelities, fantasies, lunatics, bullies, superstitions, and especially the odd logic in their use of language–where the word for “beginning” is the same as the word for “end”; “little big brother” means older sister; to be “scientific” means to be lazy; and “streetsickness” is a disease afflicting villagers visiting urban areas. Filled with colorful characters–from a weeping ox to a man so poisonous that snakes die when they bite him–A Dictionary of Maqiao is both an important work of Chinese literature and a probing inquiry into the extraordinary power of language.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0385339356\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: 56JR8Z00083Y_ns\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Acceptable\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Shaogong, Han\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The cover shows heavy wear. This book has a cracked spine. This book has worn corners from use. The Book has a small tear. The pages show normal wear and tear. This book has water damage on some of the pages. This book either has curled pages or is slightly warped. May have varying covers. Fast Shipping - Mailed in plastic mailer!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Reliant Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46723648651441,"sku":"56JR8Z00083Y_ns","price":6.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0544\/8872\/7729\/files\/0385339356-0_db7c30b6-232c-4a84-af76-6dd0593a28cf.jpg?v=1774033525","url":"https:\/\/www.reliantbookstore.com\/products\/a-dictionary-of-maqiao-3","provider":"Reliant Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}