"Magic Realism" presented by Ha Jin

It's strange to read Harkin's name for the first time. I still fantasize about being a foreigner in my mind. Later, after reading a book, I realized that Ha Jin was his pen name. Real name is Kim. 56-year-old, enlisted, went abroad to study for a doctorate, and is now a Chinese-American writer.

? Most of his works are written in English, and his translated versions are also published in Chinese mainland. No wonder my understanding of Harkin stays at the level of foreign writers. Although it is a translation, The Weird Man in a Small Town has not lost its charm in Chinese. The language is apt and vivid, without any affectation of translation. This is also the characteristic of Harkin's novels. The language is extremely fluent and reading is stress-free.

Most of Harkin's works reflect China in a specific period. He felt it, jumped out, stood elsewhere and wrote it down. And this used to be the truth of his personal experience. The Maxie Pavilion, where he grew up as a child, became the history of the Maxie Pavilion, and it was also the growth history of Ha Jin.

? There are twelve stories in "A Weird Man in a Small Town", all of which are very dramatic. Mu Ying, in broad daylight and in full view, was identified as a "prostitute", and her husband watched helplessly as she was accused by a group of out-of-control people. People laughed at her, beat her and ravaged her. It was not until she admitted all the charges that her husband saw his crazy wife die on the track under great mental stimulation. This is the first story of the novel, with concise words and lively rhythm. Dialogue promotes the development of the story and depicts the faces of various characters. Uncle Shang, a "savage" villager, couldn't stand his wife wearing a green hat, so he invited four young men in the brigade to sleep with his wife and taught her a lesson. Hao Nan, a young man, ended in failure because of his first experience, leaving symptoms of impotence and becoming the laughing stock of the whole village.

? These are the two stories at the beginning of the novel. This is why I insist on reading. What kind of story will happen in such a "fantastic" town? The most painful thing to watch is "luck".

? Tang Hu heard from the fortune teller that his bad luck was due to his son Dalongke. He should be a general. Managing several horses is not just a "unicycle". In order to make his son change his name, he finally killed his son without hesitation. I was in prison myself.

In "Spring Breeze Blows Again", Lan Lan lost her husband and killed the rogue who violated herself in self-defense. After confirming that the rogue was not the nephew of Deputy Secretary Dong, the town secretary praised her and the county reporter interviewed her. Because of heroic self-defense and chastity protection, he became an advanced element and moved to the county seat. Courtship poured in from all directions like snow. She is thinking about the reporter who interviewed her.

The last and most shocking thing is Resurrection. Lu Han was with his sister-in-law Si Tong during his wife's pregnancy. After being discovered, the secretary of the brigade asked him to deeply review his behavior. After writing a hundred pages, he failed to escape. After he failed to escape into an empty door, he chose to marry himself. Lu Han, who lost himself, was reborn and a part of his body died, but he came out of his misery. Because of his deep understanding of his mistakes, he became a model party member and was recommended to join the Party.

? Twelve short stories, each full of power. Absurd times, distorted human nature. Ha Jin's writing style is clean and clear, not gorgeous and complicated. Not even elegant. But he can really knock people's hearts. I think some people will think it tastes like a story, but he is by no means the soup of a story. Regular structure, simple narration, he seldom uses metaphor, but he secretly expresses a lot to people. Ha Jin's control and operation of the story are very academic. It is also a rare learning mode. Harkin himself is a professor of creative writing at Boston University. He teaches students several creative writing skills in class:

This is Harkin. A stranger who always keeps company with novels.

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