Must reads

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-23 08:57
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Here's a short list of books recommended by some of China's leading literary critics.

Qin Opera, Jia Pingwa, 2005

This book won the 2008 Mao Dun Literary Prize and is a lament of the weakening ties between farmers and land in a period of huge social transformation.

Must reads

A Sentence is Worth Thousands, Liu Zhenyun, 2009

Following the successful TV and film adaptations of his novels, Liu returns to the literary scene by exploring the loneliness of ordinary Chinese.

Must reads

Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Mo Yan, 2006

A man dies and is reborn as animals to observe 50 years of change in his hometown and in the Chinese countryside.

Must reads

The Joy of Living, Yan Lianke, 2003

Adopting an unconventional structure and narrative style, Yan tells the story of how a village profits from its treatment of revolutionary heritage - trying to buy Lenin's remains to attract tourists.

Must reads

Other recommendations include:

Benhua Village, Tie Ning, 2006

Wolf Totem, Jiang Rong, 2004

Frog, Mo Yan, 2009

Sandalwood Punishment, Mo Yan, 2001

No Monument, Wang Shiyue, 2009

Wild Gourd, Zong Pu

Wrath, Bei Cun, 2004

The Woman who Ruins the Rituals, Lu Yue, 2009

Wandering in Leisure, Li Shijiang, 2005

The Movement of Getting Warm, Sheng Keyi, 2006

The Trend, Chen Xiwo, 2010