Jia Pingwa

b. 1953, Shangzhou, Shaanxi

Writer

A writer of prose and poetry and editor of the literary magazine Meiwen [Belles Lettres], Jia Pingwa has published many short-story collections and three well-known novels: Turbulence (Fucao, 1988), The Abandoned City (Feidu, 1993) and The Earthen Gate (Tumen, 1996). His writings are set predominantly in the countryside, where Jia grew up, and express traditional beliefs and values, but also reflect the emergence of new ideas that disturb and put traditions in question. Some of his short stories exhibit ideals of generosity and bravery, while also portraying a complex reality where human beings live in tragic and conflicting situations despite their aspirations to harmony. The Abandoned City shifts the plot to the city (Jia lived for several years in Xi’an) and describes the decadent life and sexual obsession of an intellectual who confronts various forms of disillusionment and perversity. While officially banned, the novel remained available in small bookstores and was widely read and debated. The Earthen Gate provides a more subtle analysis of the effects of urbanization, and the invasion of opportunistic values associated with the city, on rural mentalities.

Further reading

Jia, Pingwa (1991).

Turbulence. Trans. Howard Goldblatt. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.

——(1997). La Capitale déchue. Trans. Geneviève Imbot-Bichet. Paris: Stock.

——(2000). Le Village englouti. Trans. Geneviève Imbot-Bichet. Paris: Stock.

ANNIE CURIEN