A Dictionary of Maqiao
Novel by Han Shaogong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Dictionary of Maqiao (Chinese: 马桥词典; pinyin: Mǎqiáo Cídiǎn) is a novel written by Chinese writer Han Shaogong.[1] It was first published in 1996 and was translated into English by Julia Lovell in 2003.[1] Yazhou Zhoukan selected it as one of the top 100 greatest Chinese novels in the 20th century.[2]
| |
| Author | Han Shaogong |
|---|---|
| Original title | 马桥词典 |
| Translator | Julia Lovell |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Novel |
| Published |
|
| Publication place | China |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 400 pp (Eng. trans. edition) |
| ISBN | 0-231-12744-8 (Eng. trans. edition) |
| OCLC | 51294122 |
| 895.1/35 21 | |
| LC Class | PL2861.A662 M3613 2003 |
The novel is set in Maqiao, a village in Hunan province, China. It is written in the form of a dictionary, or more accurately, encyclopedia. It collects 115 'articles' on Maqiao village life from the perspective of a young student sent there by the Down to the Countryside Movement. These 'articles' cohere into a story.[citation needed]
After the book was published, some critics claimed that was an imitation of Milorad Pavić's novel, Dictionary of the Khazars.[3] The author, Han Shaogong, stated that he had never read Pavić's work.[3] He brought a defamation case against the critics and won this case in 1999 at Haikou.[3]
