 |
|
|
Roller Coaster2009/03/01 14:00:00 US/Central
text by Li Qin Emotional confusion stemming from modern urban life is revealed in this tale of a former celebrity photographer who is tired of shooting “perfect” faces and people who have risen to stardom. He quits his job and becomes a street photographer, taking snapshots of passersby and street scenes. He believes these snapshots are real reflections of the city—maybe not perfect—but pregnant with truth and sincerity. This is one of the stories in Roller Coaster, the latest collection of Shi Kang. In fact, every story in the book is like a snapshot of its own kind, uneasy and alert, reflecting current lifestyles and concerns that arise from them. The book is full of such stories: in one, after a middle-aged couple finally have everything they want, such as houses, cars, kids, and positions, they begin to lose things they really care for: love, trust, and loyalty. In another story, a young man discovers that his girl friend is having an affair with another man. He calls the man’s girl friend. A Valentine’s date then beccoms a dark-humoured game of switching partners. The whole reading process is a bit like riding a roller coaster, full of quick turns and thrills. And you don’t really know what’s going to happen next. Born in 1967, Shi Kang is author of Loafing Around (晃晃悠悠), Falling to Pieces (支离破碎), and Making a Mess (一塌糊涂), that depict urban lives and loves. His novel Struggle(奋斗), after being adapted into a popular TV series, quickly became a nationwide hit. Almost all his books feature strong characters, irony, satire and wit that the author recommends and favours. “Some people criticize my work as too depressing,” Shi said, “but I never consider my works as depressing. On the contrary, I think of myself as positively facing real life. I see life, and I see death. Life is a natural process of dying. If someone calls it depressing, I think he is too simplistic.”
Roller Coaster （《过山车》） By Shi Kang（石康） Volumes Publishing Company (万卷出版公司) October 2008, 21.8 yuan |
| * |
京ICPè¯050057å·http://www.miibeian.gov.cn