num_pages: 264
description: Rickshaw is a new translation of the twentieth-century Chinese classic Lo-t’o Hsiang Tzu, the first important study of a laborer in modern Chinese literature. While the rest of the Chinese literary world debated hotly, and for years, the value of proletarian literature, Lao She wrote the novel that the left wing insisted on but failed to produce. Published in 1938 and set in Peking, Lao She’s eighth novel is a relentless account of a worker’s struggle, failure, and utter corruption.Lao She’s depiction of the rickshaw puller Hsiang Tzu is a study in social misery compiled by an acute critic and keen observer. His character portraits are memorable; his crowd scenes are masterful; his comprehension of human motives is always profound and often unsettling.It may be said, in all fairness, that Lao She wrote eloquently rather than elegantly. His language is the language of the streets; brusque, energetic, never dull. His dialect is that of Peking, famous for its sparkle and colorful idiom. This new translation, which omits nothing and alters nothing, serves not only the orientalist but all who esteem good writing.
language: English
title: Rickshaw
titlecomplete: Rickshaw
genres: 20th Century, Literature, Asian Literature, Classics, Novels, Chinese Literature, Asia, Historical Fiction, Fiction, China
ratings_count: 2161
places: Beijing, China
publisher: University of Hawaii Press