Beschreibung
He didn't know how long he slept for, when he woke up he felt very energetic. He stretched out his hand to touch his nose; to his surprise he found a spring onion growing there. His eyebrows had become two palm fronds whilst his legs had turned into the thick and sturdy roots of a rubber tree. The finer roots of which were continuing to grow outwards. His arms were two towering branches, covered in burgeoning leaves, full of life. Everything had changed except for those tapered fingers of his. Mo Shen was frightened half to death by this transformation. He had become an extremely rare breed of plant! These plants had become a part of his body, they went everywhere with him. Wherever he went there they would follow him. If he took the smallest step, the leafy branches on his upper body would begin to sway in a lively fashion. Full of terror he walked to the window and closed the curtains, afraid his neighbours would catch sight of him. He ran in circles about the room, trying to shake off the leaves that covered his body. But that only created a whispering song-like noise as they swayed along with Mo Shen's movements. . The joke was beginning to go too far, it was totally unacceptable! He was terrified; he was at his wit's end. He buzzed about the room like a bluebottle, complete with his 'coat of armour'. He thought he would try to kill off the plants by not drinking water. However, he experienced no desire except the desire to have a drink. He went on for five days and five nights through sheer willpower. He refused to let a drop of water pass his lips. On the sixth day cracks appeared on his skin in a tortoiseshell pattern. He could hold back no longer, he went despondently to the tap and drank without the least hesitation for a good half an hour. He felt his heart burst into bloom, he was in a fine mood. Just then, he saw that his beloved fingers had put forth delicate little green shoots. They were lovely! All of a sudden, he asked himself, "Why shouldn't I become a plant? Since I'm so uncomfortable in the human world, isn't this a rather wonderful chance I'm being offered?" And so, he decided that he would just become a tree! All things considered, it was really the most ideal option available to him.
This fictive work consists of four novellas. The Reincarnation of Dreamer (????) is a story that took place in China, in which the identities of Xiaomeng and "me" gradually merge into one. It is a humorous allegory of the conflict between tradition and modernity. Who Knows (????) contains the author's reflection of Chinese traditions after she left China and gained sufficient imaginative distance. Desire's Wings (?????) presents the seduction of foreignness and its conflict, convergence, and integration with the author's native Chinese culture. In One Man's Decision to Become a Tree (??????), the final destination is the thorough solitude within the human heart, from which no one can escape. Every novella is relatively independent, and their structures as well as linguistic styles are radically different. The characters' voices interweave into a symphonic narrative. The language is rich and multifaceted. All fictions, however, are deeply rooted in reality. As a result, the multiple layers of language constructs the Baroque architecture of this book.
Autorenporträt
YoYo (Liu Youhong) kommt ursprünglich aus Westchina und zog in den 1970ern nach Peking. In den 1980ern arbeitete sie als Kunstredakteurin für den Chinesischen Theaterverlag und begann nebenbei, selbst zu schreiben. 1989 wurde sie als Gastdozentin nach Neuseeland eingeladen und erlebte so von Auckland aus das Tian'anmen-Massaker am 4. Juni 1989. Sie beschloss, im Exil zu bleiben. Ihre Literatur behandelt häufig ihre vielschichtigen Erinnerungen aus China, inspirierende wie bedrückende. Sie hat mehrere Bücher auf Chinesisch veröffentlicht, von denen einige bereits in weitere Sprachen übersetzt wurden. Ab 1997 unterrichtete YoYo am Eton College in Windsor und an der School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) der University of London. Ihr künstlerisches Werk umfasst Performances und Gemälde, die u.a. in der Galerie Avantgarde in Berlin ausgestellt wurden. Zudem wurde YoYo zu zahlreichen Writer-in-Residence-Stellen und Kunstprojekten in China, den USA und in ganz Europa eingeladen. Heute lebt sie in London und Berlin.
