Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
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 One version of the front cover of the novel |
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| Author | Dai Sijie |
|---|---|
| Original title | Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise |
| Translator | Ina Rilke |
| Genre(s) | Historical, Semi-autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | Anchor Books |
| Released | 2000 |
| Released in English | 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 184 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-41309-X |
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Dai Sijie, and published in 2000 in French and in English in 2001. Its original French title is Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise.
[edit] Plot summary
During the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1971 (see Down to the Countryside Movement), the sons of two allegedly reactionary doctors are sent to a remote village on the fictional mountain Phoenix of the Sky to be 're-educated' by hard work and peasant living. There, the two characters meet the daughter of the local tailor (the Little Seamstress) and discover a collection of various translated Western novels hidden by another city boy sent to the country for re-education, Four-Eyes. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, they find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.
[edit] Characters
- Luo - Luo is the only character in the novel with a recognizeable name. Luo is the son of a famous dentist who bragged of having worked on Chairman Mao's teeth, and is accused of being a reactionary for having committed the sin of suggesting that the Chairman was not perfect. Luo is audacious, a talented liar and storyteller.
- The narrator - His name is Ma, but in the book it is in Chinese, so he is just known as the narrator. The son of two doctors who have been labelled enemies of the people, the narrator mentions his name is written in Chinese characters that in English translate as "Horse Sword Bell." The narrator plays the violin, and is once referred to in the novel as "the fiddler." As the novel progresses the narrator's storytelling skills rival and then arguably surpass those of his friend Luo.
- The little Chinese Seamstress - The daughter of a famous local tailor, the seamstress is a rare beauty. Though she has had no formal education she was taught to read by her father and amongst the ignorant peasants she has an air of sophistication, though Luo comments early in the novel that she is "not civilized, at least not enough for me!"
- The Headman - The headman is the leader of the village the narrator and Luo are sent to for re-education. He has rotten teeth, which Luo fixes in exchange for the Narrator's freedom.
- Four-eyes - The son of a writer and poetess, Four-eyes must wear thick glasses to compensate for his nearsightedness (hence his nickname.) He possesses a treasure trove of forbidden "reactionary" Western novels which the Narrator and Luo covet and eventually steal.
- The Miller - A filthy old man who lives alone and is a repository of local "folk" songs, the Miller narrates one chapter of the novel and provides songs to the boys (who relate them to Four-eyes.)
- The Tailor - Father of the little Chinese Seamstress, he likes it when the Narrator reads him some stories.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
- A film based on his novel was released in 2002, directed by Dai himself.
