Overview

A surreal and gripping new book by one of China's most renowned contemporary writers One dusk in early June, in a town deep in the Balou mountains, fourteen-year-old Li Niannian notices something strange about his town. Instead of settling down for the night, the residents start appearing in the streets and fields. There are people everywhere. Li Niannian watches, mystified. But then he realises the people are dreamwalking, carrying on with their daily business as if the sun hadn't gone down. And before too long, as more and more people succumb, in the black of night all hell breaks loose. Set over the course of one night, The Day the Sun Died sets chaos and darkness against the sunny optimism of the 'Chinese dream' promoted by President Xi Jinping. We are thrown into the middle of an increasingly strange and troubling waking nightmare as Li Niannian and his father struggle to save the town, and persuade the sun to rise again.

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9781925603859

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Reviews

`Yan Lianke well deserves to be in the Pantheon of great writers. He has no equal at attacking societal issues or the great Maoist myths in order to turn them into novels so breathtakingly powerful, shot through with black, often desperate, humor.' * Le Monde Diplomatique * `A master of imaginative satire. His work is animated by an affectionate loyalty to his peasant origins in the poverty-stricken province of Henan, and fierce anger over the political abuses of the regime.' * Guardian * Yan Lianke is one of the best contemporary Chinese writers.' * Independent * `I can think of few better novelists than Yan, with his superlative gifts for storytelling and penetrating eye for truth' * New York Times Book Review *

`This exuberant but sinister fable confirms its author as one of China's most audacious and enigmatic novelists.' * Economist * `A powerful, captivating work of art.' * South China Morning Post * `Yan Lianke well deserves to be in the Pantheon of great writers. He has no equal at attacking societal issues or the great Maoist myths in order to turn them into novels so breathtakingly powerful, shot through with black, often desperate, humor.' * Le Monde Diplomatique * `A master of imaginative satire. His work is animated by an affectionate loyalty to his peasant origins in the poverty-stricken province of Henan, and fierce anger over the political abuses of the regime.' * Guardian * Yan Lianke is one of the best contemporary Chinese writers.' * Independent * `This exuberant but sinister fable confirms its author as one of China's most audacious and enigmatic novelists.' * Economist * `I can think of few better novelists than Yan, with his superlative gifts for storytelling and penetrating eye for truth' * New York Times Book Review *

Author Information

Yan Liankehas been called a 'master of imaginative satire' and named 'one of China's most successful fiction writers' by theNew York Times. His satirical stories with often sensitive subjects have led to the banning of some of his works, including his novellaServe the Peopleand the novelDream of Ding Village. Yan's surrealist writing oscillates between military themes and the Chinese countryside, which lend the often absurdly miserable living conditions of rural life an equally surreal setting.

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