Nobel Prize

Probably you already known, that the Nobel Prize in literature in 2012 goes to Chinese writer - Mo Yan. I haven't read his book yet. But it is a good opportunity to write about books written by people from China. Unfortunately, I read books faster than I have time to write about them. I hope this month I will write about books, which are for very long time on my list... I hope to write here soon!

The second part of an orange

When we watch a movie or read a book very often we can hear about love story. Finally love is the most important part of our life. Today I would like to write about book "Heaven Lake" by John Dalton (2004). It is quite long (ca. 650 pages in Polish) story of an American Christian volunteer, who arrived in Taiwan to tell about God and teach English. His name is
Vincent Saunders, and he is fresh out of college in the States. His story is complicated and in the second part of his being in Asia he decided to help a guy who ask him to marry a woman from China instead him...
Usually I like main character of book or identify with him. But not this time. Vincent is young man, he believes in God, knows the Bible very well and try do many things correctly. Page by page I saw that he is a bit naive, and doesn't know what he want. Although I do not like him and his behaviour made me angry, reading this book gave me pleasure! His travel for taking woman from China as a wife, show China as a bit strange and dangerous country. Vincent seemed lost and very lonely, not only in China, but probably more in their emotions.
Other intriguing character is a businessman from Taipei, who has wife and four years old son are constantly looking for his other half, his true love. What an unhappy marriage! Very strange book!

book vs movie

Next book about China. It is "Pavilion of women" written by Pearl Buck. That day, when I borrowed it from library, there was a movie displayed in TV, which is a screen adaptation of the book :) I recorded that movie to be able to watch it after reading the book.

The main character is Mrs Wu. The story begins on day of her 40th Birthday in 1938. She has four sons. She don't want be lover for her husband any more, therefore she plans to find a young girl for him. This changes harmony in her big, famous and rich family. Finally she recognizes that she hurts all people with this decision and that she never loved her husband. She is very lonely until she meets a Christian priest. He becomes her friend. He understands her mind and knows almost all answers of her questions about life, sense of life, love, man and woman, etc.
Only one of her sons has as philosophic soul as Mrs Wu. He is married, but doesn't love his wife much. He feels that his wife doesn't understand his existential problems and intellectual needs. Mrs Wu wants to help him, so she sends him to US for study. He meets an American girl there. Her name is Margarita, she has blue eyes... They fell in love, but he understands, that he can't be with her. He tells Margarita about his marriage and immediately (earlier than he planned) comes back home to China.

In this book there was one sentence about colours of eyes: "Her blue eyes are like an open window, his dark eyes are like a descended curtain."

Marrgareth, do you have blue eyes, maybe? Sorry, but I do not remember...

When it comes to the movie... the beginning is quite interesting, but the longer I watched the more bored I was. Some stories have different scenario, but unfortunately not better. This is one of many examples when book is much better then movie.

Scenario of good movie

Saga under the title "Imperium łez" (ang. The Empire of Tears) contains two volumes ("Wojna opiumowa" - La Guerre de l’Opium - and "Księżycowy Kamień" - Le sac du Palais d'été - by Jose Freches). These books are about completely unknown story for me of opium wars in mid-19th Century China. You will find many historical annotations here, which are very helpful. In the novel, the author shows how complicated relationships can be, not only in one cultural region (China), but also cross-cultural, in this case - the line between England and China.

We can see the bad side of people from France and Great Britain in 19th century. When they totally don't understand people from China and only want make fortune selling them opium.

Very colourful described characters from China, GB, France, Portugal, Russia and others have very fascinating threads. In this two books we meet a few characters. Initially their stories are described separately and only on further pages their fates  begin to cross, pass and connect... But in this book characters are not black-white, maybe only one... the title character from the second volume. They have to make many difficult decisions in very complicated times...
Very seldom I read a book in which the fate of many characters are described and actually there is not one main thread, but there are many. It is very interesting idea! Both the beginning and the ending relate to European journalist describing and drawing extraordinary facts, which used to happened in China.

For me, these books are good base for a film script. Any director think the same? Now I am waiting for a film... ;)

Friendship once again

 Have you ever tried to find a new friend? If so, you probably know, how difficult task it is.

Maybe you tried to keep friendship with a person with the opposite gender... did you succeed? If you want to read about this kind of relations I recommend you "Brand New Friend" by Mike Gayle (in Polish 2008). Rob, main character, moved in to a new city, where he did not have a family, friends or even work-mate. He tried to find a new friend for men talking-drinking, but it is not so easy for 32 years old guy, especially if he works alone at his home.
They say that friendship between men is very different than between women. Women meet very often, they talk each other just like that, no reason, etc. And men meet much more seldom, don't go shopping together or talk all the day. And it is a point how it is possible to combine such different points of view of friendship?

I don't know how, but I know IT IS POSSIBLE :) Sometimes it is the biggest advantage that my male friend is not a female and other times it is his the biggest disadvantage ;)

After reading this book I have read an interview with the author (you can find it here). It was surprising for me that men need that much time before they call someone a friend. It takes them so many years...
I know, friendship is something special and needs much time, needs years, but sometimes we know from the beginning that something special happened, that we like each-other and after years we recognize that it is a friendship. A few times in my life I met a man, and from the beginning I knew that we could be a close colleague and the time will check whether we can be friends or not.

Following Polish singers (Rafał Olbrychski and Maryla Rodowicz) I would like to sing now:

 

'When you find a new friend,
all your days in the whole year
are like Sunday.
When you find a new friend
Sunny shoots a ray from heaven
eyesight is gleaming
And a word is not afraid a word
Tablecloth is white, the bread is sliced

When dusk falls
The light of reason pierce the gloom
And you have someone to talk deeply
from heart
you can be silent together too.

And if yours roads are diverging
If it is friendship, nothing can destroy its
And at the end of the world you will get a sms
If this is true friendship
If it is
(...)'

/my translation/

After long break

"Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom written in 2009 is a real story about two meetings. Meetings with rabbi (Albert) and with Protestant minister (Henry). These conversations take a few years. During this period Mitch have discovered two different stories of a human life. It is not important if you believe in God or not, this book is about difficult questions, about friendship and about the truth: although we think that we gave to some help to someone, at the end we realise that we received from him much more than we offered.

Another important part of this book for me was Alberts talk about his feelings after the death of his child. He was sad, but he did not feel angry with God. He was grateful, that he could meet his child, love it, even if he had only a few years for this. I shared the same feelings when I lose someone I loved or when our paths diverge...

In this place I would like to share with you one of the poem of my favourite poet - Jan Twardowski. I found this translation in the internet.

"Let us hurry to love people they depart so quickly"

Let us love people now they leave us so fast
The shoes remain empty and the phone rings on
What's unimportant drags on like a cow
The meaningful sudden takes us by surprise
The silence that follows so normal it's
Hideous like chastity born most simply from despair
When we think of someone who's been taken from us.

Don't be sure you have time for there's no assurance
As all good fortune security deadens the senses
It comes simultaneously like pathos and humour
Like two passions not as strong as one
They leave fast grow silent like a thrush in July
Like a sound somewhat clumsy or a polite bow
To truly see they close their eyes
Though to be born is more of risk than to die
We love still too little and always too late.

Don't write of it too often but write once and for all
And you'll become like dolphin both gentle and strong.

Let us love people now they leave us so fast
And the ones who don't leave won't always return
And you never know while speaking of love
If the first one is last or the last one first.

Time for movie

"Xiao cai feng" it is an original title of movie "Balzak i mała Chinka" (in Poland), "Balzac E a Costureirinha Chinesa" (in Brazil) or "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" (in USA). It is this kind of film, which inspire you to read books. Lyrical film about the impact of reading books on human life. Balzac's book prohibited in China in the eighties of the 20th century show the Little Chinese role woman in France at the time of Balzac. Even love can't keep her in the village in the mountain. But this film (was made following the book) is not only love. It shows live two youths who was sent for a Maoist "re-education" in the mountains and  fall in love with the village tailor's granddaughter. It is a story about their friendship in those days. In the background you can hear Mozart music and beautiful landscape, so different from mine. For me it is amazing movie.
The first was the book, but I didn't find it yet :(

If you wish you can watch movie trailer on YouTube.
I recommend it!

Time for hotel

Summer is coming, it's mean we have to think about accommodation on holiday :) I am not sure if Hotel Pekin (Hotel Beijing?) really exist. Maybe it was created only for writing book by Santiago Gamboa.
In this hotel stay two men. We get to know them in plane during their travel to China. One of them is journalist from U.S., who want to find unusual story about ordinary people. The second is American (born in Columbia) who has Polish name - Michalski (I don't know why!) He come to Beijing to teach Chinese businessmen western way of making business. He is arrogant and conceited. One of his students is Li Qiang, manager of very big IT company. Finally American and Chinese are friends. We can see how they change their point of view of different nation and culture.
Two sentence which I remember from this book, were said by Li Qiang: "Laughter Chinese is rarely results from an amusement" and "In China exist the cult of self-sufficiency". It is really Chinese point of view or maybe only writer opinion?

For you, my friends...

Today we have quite warm day - 20 degree. Summer is coming! and it season makes me a bit sentimental. Therefore today I would like share with you one of the most important book in my life. The book let me create relation between old a new friends. This book was written in 1943 and translated into 130 languages. You probably have read this book in primary or secondary school, so did I.
Yes, I am thinking about "The little prince" (written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). I would like remain you two scene from this book. Do you remember meeting little prince with the fox?

"What does that mean--'tame'?" (asked little prince)

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

"'To establish ties'?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."
(...)
"(...) If you want a friend, tame me . . ."

"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.

"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me--like that--in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day . . ."

The next day the little prince came back.

"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . ."

 "What is a rite?" asked the little prince

"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all"

Now I would like thank you for taming me :) That you give me your time, your mind, your smile and good advice.

And the second part is talking about saving time. What for we live faster? We can do many thing faster, but what for?

"Good morning," said the little prince.

"Good morning," said the merchant.

This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink.

"Why are you selling those?" asked the little prince.

"Because they save a tremendous amount of time," said the merchant. "Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week."

"And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?"

"Anything you like . . ."

"As for me," said the little prince to himself, "if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water."

And you, what you do with your time? Do you waste it for nothing important or care of your family life and friendship?

If you don't have this book in your home and would like read it once again look at page with "The little prince" in different language.

Woman's writing

I would like to stay in similar time as before. This time about books of other American writer - Lisa See. She has grown up in American-Chinese family. Kwiat Śniegu i sekretny wachlarz (oryginal title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) published in 2005, describe China in 19th century.

Snow Flower is a friend of girl (Lilia), who describe all story in the book. They are in the same age and have many similar facts in their life, therefore their friendship was arranged. They are laotong - secret-writing partners. It is something much more then pen-friendship. They are closer than sisters. For communication in the most important moment of their life they use secret writing on fan. It is the first woman's writing - nu shu. (a syllabic scripts, a simplification of Chinese characters). It was the first thing which was me surprising. Woman's writing...If you want know more about it, look on the website connected with this topic: wikipedia, The Guardian, Bloomsbury or other.

The second unusual thing was, that in those days woman should care more about mother in low than about her husband.... and women couldn't walking around countryside. They had to spent time in the kitchen or in a room for women, where they sewed and embroidered all day.

At the begining...

The first it will be a book of Pearl S. Buck. The original tittle is: East Wind: West Wind. This book was published in 1930. This is the first novel of the author. Polish readers can find this book under two titles: Spowiedź Chinki (translation by Wanda Kragen, published in 1959) or Wiatr ze wschodu, wiatr z zachodu (translation by Magdalena Jędrzejewska, published in 2007).
Pearl Buck describes China before 2nd World War. The main character is a young Chinese girl, Kwei-lan, who got married with a Chinese man educated in U.S. He is her guide in changing world. He understands American tradition and customs. For her everything is new. She changed her point of view though it is not so easy.
One of the most surprising question, which she asks herself is: Am I equal to him? But why? Did not I was his wife? If he will not tell me what I should do, then who will be tell me that?(translation by me). As far as I know women's life in China is different nowadays. But maybe they have this traditional question in the deepest part of her heart, ... I do not know.