In the late 1980s and early 1990s—before his celebrated novel To Live catapulted him to international fame—Yu Hua, along with other young Chinese writers, departed from conventional realism in favor of a surreal, boundary-pushing approach that reflected the zeitgeist of their rapidly changing nation and also showed the influence of Western icons such as Kafka and Borges. Now available in English for the first time, these early stories find Yu Hua masterfully guiding us from one fractured reality to another: “A History of Two People” traces the paths of a man and a woman who dream in parallel throughout their lives. “As the North Wind Howled” carries a case of mistaken identity to absurd and hilarious conclusions. And the title story follows an unforgettable narrator determined to unearth a conspiracy against him that may not exist. By turns daring, darkly comic, thought-provoking, and profound, The April 3rd Incident powerfully captures a singular moment in Chinese letters.
“One of contemporary China’s most celebrated authors.” —The Boston Globe
“A trailblazing Chinese writer. . . . A leading member of China’s avant-garde literary movement.” —NPR
“China’s boldest and smartest literary agent provocateur. The world has never needed him more.” —South China Morning Post
“Brilliant. . . . Daring. . . . A superb achievement.” —Words without Borders
“Like some of the best literature, these stories ask more questions than they answer. . . . [Hua] has a special knack for making the mundane surreal.” —The New York Journal of Books
“Renmin, or people, lie at the heart of this collection. . . . The new individuality exhibited by [Yu’s] often alienated characters reveals a struggle to adapt to a country transforming.” —Financial Times
“Delightful and powerful . . . Soaked in inspiration from experimental writers like Kafka and Borges, the stories in The April 3rd Incident provide a welcome insight into a country—and an author—in transition. . . . Yu Hua’s early work demonstrates the power of surrealism as a form of protest, as he pushes the boundaries of art and expression.” —The Cedar Rapids Gazette
“Written at the beginning of the stellar career of China's globally acclaimed writer Yu, that is from 1987–91, these seven stories are finally making their English-language debut. . . . [This] collection shows that his literary prowess and mastery were present from the start.” —Booklist
“Accomplished, genre-bending. . . . Yu’s devastating wit and morbid humor are on full display . . . Collected from work written by the author in the 1980s and ’90s, the stories are formally experimental, indicative of a burgeoning period in Chinese literature and society. . . . Surreal, humorous, and unexpectedly poignant, Yu’s collection will satisfy fans and readers new to his writing alike.” —Publishers Weekly
“A provocative collection for cosmopolitan readers with a penchant for international fiction.” —Library Journal
