Reading the City

1 total work

The Book of Shanghai

by Xiao Bai, Pu Yuehui, Shen Dacheng, Cai Jun, Wang Zhanhei, Chen Danyan, Chen Qiufan, Wang Anyi, and Xia Shang

Published 16 April 2020

The characters in this literary exploration of one of the world’s biggest cities are all on a mission. Whether it is responding to events around them, or following some impulse of their own, they are defined by their determination – a refusal to lose themselves in a city that might otherwise leave them anonymous, disconnected, alone. From the neglected mother whose side-hustle in collecting sellable waste becomes an obsession, to the schoolboy determined to end a long-standing feud between his family and another, the characters in The Book of Shanghai show a defiance that reminds us why Shanghai – despite its hurtling economic growth –remains an epicentre for individual creativity.