Translated from Chinese by Alexandre Lataria and Anzor Abzhandadze

The Laureate of 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature is well known outside China for his original style and creative approach. The present novel is a satire about gastronomy and alcohol which is used as a metaphor for Chinese self-destruction. Many outstanding writers, Japanese Kenzaburo Oe among them, have noted Mo Yan’s distinctive narrative which draws images from folk tales, history and contemporary life to create novels where sarcasm and ridicule are used to attack falsification of history, depravation and political hypocrisy.