Người Đài Bắc

by Pai Hsien-yung, Bạch Tiên Dũng, Nguyễn Tú Uyên (Translator)

Bao gồm 14 truyện ngắn từng được đăng trên tờ Văn học hiện đại trong suốt thập niên 60 thế kỷ 20, lần đầu xuất bản vào năm 1971 song đến nay vẫn xếp thứ 7 trong danh sách 100 tiểu thuyết Hoa ngữ tiêu biểu thế kỷ 20, Người Đài Bắc là tác phẩm giữ thứ hạng cao nhất của một nhà văn còn tại thế trong danh sách này.
Tên là Người Đài Bắc nhưng tác phẩm không viết về những con người sinh ra và lớn lên ở Đài Bắc hay tình cảm với thành phố này, mà khắc họa nhiều hơn là cuộc sống của nhóm người “ngoại tỉnh” từ Trung Quốc đại lục lưu lạc đến Đài Bắc trong thập niên 50 thế kỷ trước, vốn ngày đêm canh cánh về người thân ở đại lục, nhung nhớ những huy hoàng và vẻ vang trong quá khứ, hình thành nên một “phức cảm đại lục” hết sức đặc biệt và vô cùng sâu đậm.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, China, Literature, Chinese Literature, Asia, Classics

313 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1971

About the author

Chinese name: 白先勇

Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai (Chinese: 白先勇; pinyin: Bái Xiānyǒng; Wade–Giles: Pai Hsien-yung), born July 11, 1937) is a writer who has been described as a "melancholy pioneer." He was born in Guilin, Guangxi, China at the cusp of both the Second Sino-Japanese War and subsequent Chinese Civil War. Pai's father was the famous Kuomintang (KMT) general Bai Chongxi (Pai Chung-hsi), whom he later described as a "stern, Confucian father" with "some soft spots in his heart." Pai was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of seven, during which time he would have to live in a separate house from his siblings (of which he would have a total of nine). He lived with his family in Chongqing, Shanghai, and Nanjing before moving to the British-controlled Hong Kong in 1948 as CPC forces turned the tide of the Chinese Civil War. In 1952, Pai and his family resettled in Taiwan, where the KMT had relocated the Republic of China after Japan's defeat in 1945.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Phu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Trước đó mình đã đọc qua tiểu sử và bài phỏng vấn về tác giả Bạch Tiên Dũng, nên mình đã nắm bắt được kha khá về nội dung mà ông muốn truyền tải trong cuốn sách này, nhưng khi đọc xong từng truyện rồi lên xem phân tích, thêm vào đó trong những lời ở cuối sách mình thích nhất lời bình của nhà văn Âu Dương Tử - thực sự đã mở man cho mình nhiều điều về tập truyện này.

臺北人 là tập truyện gồm 14 truyện ngắn với độ dài/ngắn khác nhau và phức tạp, dù mang tên "Người Đài Bắc" nhưng thực chất những nhân vật trong tập truyện đều là người Trung Quốc lưu lạc đến Đài Bắc.

Trong thế giới tiểu thuyết của Bạch Tiên Dũng, sự không thể dung hòa giữa “linh hồn” và “thể xác”, hay giữa “quá khứ” và “hiện tại”, suy cho cùng, bắt nguồn từ một sự thật mà từ xưa đến nay ai cũng biết: thời gian không ngừng trôi. Thời gian, không vì ai mà ngừng trôi, thanh xuân, không vì ai mà lưu lại một khắc.
- Lời bình của Âu Dương Tử - 

Trong bài phỏng vấn của mình, Bạch Tiên Dũng cho biết, nội dung chính của 臺北人 là "quá khứ" và "hiện tại", và ông cho biết, "dòng chảy thời gian" là chất liệu ông yêu thích nhất. Trong tập truyện, ta thấy được thứ khái niệm quá khứ và hiện tại đã tác động đến những nhân vật nhiều thế nào, có người vẫn chìm đắm trong một thời huy hoàng, một kỷ niệm sung túc đủ đầy mà chối bỏ thực tại; có người đã chấp nhận với hiện tại tàn khốc, cứ thế mà sống tiếp. Sự đối lập của "linh hồn" và "thể xác" lớn lao biết bao nhiêu. Khổ đau trên đời không chỉ có thời gian sẽ làm dịu đi mà còn do cách ta chấp nhận nó.

Chủ đề của 臺北人 luôn lặp lại, nhưng bằng một cách nào đó mỗi câu chuyện đã bù đắp cho nhau. Từ những nhân vật đa dạng: những con người trong giới thượng lưu cho tới những con người thấp kém, từ những vị tướng oai vệ một thời cho tới những con người nhỏ bé (vị thầy giáo nghèo, gái bán hoa...). Những con người đó đều có một thời tươi đẹp nhất, ngây thơ và oai vệ nhất nhưng thời gian lấy đi mọi thứ. Chỉ với miêu tả về cách ăn mặc, cảm xúc đủ đề ông nói về tác động của thời gian với đời người.

Cuộc đời của Bạch Tiên Dũng cũng gắn liền với tập truyện này. Sinh ra trong gia đình vốn khá giả rồi nhìn thấy nó lụi tàn trong chiến tranh. Người cha của ông là vị tướng oai phong một thời giờ đã không còn như trước; những nhân vật từng tham chiến họ vẫn còn nhung nhớ về sự oai vệ năm nào. Cho tới số phận của con người nhỏ bé như "那片血一般红的杜鹃花", "花桥荣记", "满天里亮晶晶的星星". Những nhân vật là phụ nữ chiếm phần lớn trong tập truyện, theo tác giả, ông rất có hứng thú với phụ nữ trải qua nhiều thăng trầm trong đời; đó là hình ảnh của những nhân vật trong "永远的尹雪艳", "金大班的最后一夜". Nỗi đau của đàn ông và phụ nữ là khác nhau, ở hai giới có cách chịu đựng và thể hiện nỗi đau của riêng họ.

Mình thích các truyện: "孤恋花" là một câu chuyện bi thương cho thân phận của những người phụ nữ, số phận của họ đã bị định sẵn nhưng dù cho có cùng cực tới đâu họ vẫn có sự giải thoát, chấp nhận mọi khổ đau trên đời.
"金大班的最后一夜", dòng thời gian tác động đến cuộc đời và quan niệm của con người, nhưng mình thích nhất khi bao nhiêu rung động trong một người phụ nữ đã trải qua bao gian khổ lần nữa trở về trong một thoáng, điều đó thật đẹp và buồn.
"花桥荣记", Nỗi đau của một người đàn ông - một con người thật thà, yêu hết mình, còn là nỗi nhớ của những con người xa quê.
Và mình thích nhất truyện "一把青", sự ngây thơ và đẹp dẽ của người phụ nữ chịu tác động của thời gian, quan niệm linh hồn và thể xác trong truyện này được thể hiện rõ ở việc nhân vật đối mặt với cái chết.

Trong thời gian này, Chu Thanh thường ở lại với tôi. Đôi khi tôi dạy cô ấy nấu ăn, đôi khi tôi dạy cô ấy đan lát, và đôi khi tôi dạy cô ấy chơi một vài viên mạt chược.

“Thứ này là thuốc chữa bách bệnh,” tôi cười nói với cô ấy, “Nếu cô có điều gì băn khoăn, hãy ngồi lên bàn, trộn nó và quên đi mọi thứ.”

Cùng gia đình di cư đến Đài Bắc năm 14 tuổi, nhưng Bạch Tiên Dũng chưa bao giờ coi Đài Bắc hay những nơi khác ông sinh sống là "nhà", nhưng khi ông xa Đài Bắc thì mọi ký ức hiện lên trong đầu ông càng rõ. Theo mình ông không viết để thỏa nhớ Đài Bắc, mà ông muốn gìn giữ những giá trị Văn hóa - Lịch sử về nơi ông sinh ra. Những nhân vật có xuất thân từ khắp nơi ở Trung Quốc, từng món ăn, phương ngữ, đồ vật, hành động đều mang một phần của Trung Quốc - để giải tỏa hết mọi nỗi nhớ quê nhà của họ.

"Đã đi rồi vĩnh viễn sẽ không quay lại." Tác giả có sự đồng cảm sâu sắc cho đời người, rằng cuộc sống là vô thường. 14 truyện ngắn là cái nhìn của ông về nhân sinh quan và thế giới này.

Và thời gian, thời gian không ngừng nghỉ, không bao giờ dừng trôi, cứ luôn luôn tiếp tục. Dù bạn là một vị tướng toàn năng hay một nam nhân ít học, dù bạn là một tuyệt sắc giai nhân hay một kỹ nữ hạng thấp thì cuối cùng cũng như nhau, thời gian sẽ bào mòn tuổi trẻ của bạn và cuối cùng biến nó thành một đống tro tàn.

Tất cả những thành tựu to lớn, tất cả vinh quang và sự giàu có, chỉ có thể là tạm thời, và cuối cùng sẽ biến mất. Tất cả những tiếng cười, tất cả những giọt nước mắt, tất cả niềm vui, tất cả nỗi đau, cuối cùng tất cả đều là sự trống rỗng bởi vì cuộc sống là hữu hạn.

Đời là hư vô. Một giấc mơ. Một niềm nhớ.
-Lời bình của Âu Dương Tử -

[Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taipei People or 台北人 is a collection of quiet, understated and brilliant short stories by Pai Hsien Yung (白先勇). Dealing with the lives of the Chinese diaspora who fled to Taiwan after the fall of the Nationalist government, the title is deliberately ironic. It would be as if a collection of short stories entirely about the Russians that fled Russia to America after the fall of Nicolas II were titled “New Yorkers” or “Americans”. It might well be their new identity, but it is not an identity that was willingly taken up and one that they are having difficulty adjusting to. However, they must also accept that it is their present reality.

None of the characters are histrionic or despairing about their new lives. Pai Hsien Yung keeps a tight grip on his stories’ emotional register, and the strong undercurrent of regret is only ever alluded to. The past, when all of them were young and happy, basks in the glow of a memory of a golden youth. This past is also one that took place in China, the land that they have been exiled from. Their stories are thus simultaneously stories of exile and stories of growing old, when youthful optimism and dreams have turned in the cold light of morning into regret and the reality of a life of hardship.

And yet, this is not a collection weighed down with self-pity. There is stoicism and endurance, born of knowing that they have at least survived and that they can at least still take what pleasure they can from what life has to offer.

[Cao Đức Hiếu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mười bốn câu chuyện ngắn, 14 mảnh đời thuộc tầng lớp khác nhau, tuổi tác khác nhau, tao ngộ cũng khác nhau, vì đủ lí do mà đều đi đến Đài Bắc, nhưng không có ai để hồn lại Đài Bắc. Tác giả dùng một loại bút pháp nhìn như rất lãnh đạm nhưng luôn bất ngờ đánh trúng điểm nhạy cảm nhất trong tâm hồn độc giả, giọng văn rất khách quan nhưng luôn đâm thẳng vào cảm xúc của người đọc. Có lẽ mình thích nhất là chuyện "Dạo vườn tỉnh mộng", quá điên rồ và nghẹt thở. Dịch giả đã làm rất tốt khi chuyển ngữ mượt mà tác phẩm này.

[Minh Hiền · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 chuyến bay
1 cuốn sách ❤️
Quá là tuyệt vời, 14 câu chuyện, 14 mảnh đời, buồn man mác, nhưng động lại những cảm xúc da diết và ám ảnh, đôi chỗ giật mình vì những chi tiết quá mạnh, quá bạo, quá đau, và quá thực.
Một chiếc review ngắn nho nhỏ đầu tháng. Một trải nghiệm tuyệt vời.

[Joris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teenager, the main reason I read novels was to meet new people I had no position or time to meet in real-life to such an intimate extent.

Many books actually fail to live up to that cliché, with characters that are flat and never open up. The stories that make up Taipei People, however, gave me all of it, and multiple times I had to take a break from reading to let the stories sink in. Restaurant owners, artists, army generals, bored and melancholic housewifes, no other book I have read makes such well-rounded characters out of such a diverse group of humans.

Don't be fooled by the title. It is meant as a joke, as the people Pai portrays are anything but Taipeiren. They were only meant to remain in Taipei for a while, until mainland China could be recovered from the CCP, and felt refugees in Taiwan for a long time after such a return had already become improbable.

The move to Taiwan of Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist army and intellectuals caused a social and political upheaval in Taiwan that still leaves aftershocks today. But the atrocities of the KMT government in Taiwan are not the theme of this book. This is about the individuals that came to Taipei and had to leave everything behind. They pick up there old lives and employment, but in their heart and mind they are still 'over there'. Taipei for them meant safety and security, but not home. Home was mainland China: Shanghai for one, Chongqing for another, and Guiling for writer Pai Hsien-yung himself.

Not a good read for an introduction into Taiwan's history, but definitely an amazing novel for those that love to meet new people of all walks of life and like to indulge in the homesickness of being exiled on a pacific island.

[Simon_PBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

读毕白先勇先生的台北人，总是同时停留在其中的某些故事中，很多的角色总是让我们不能忘怀，无论是花桥荣记里面的桂林的教书先生，还是金大班最后一夜里，那个被爱情欺骗的小舞女，亦或是如血的杜鹃花里面的那个花匠。
这些人都有一个共同特点，人生至少有一部分时光是在大陆的某个角落度过的，现在来到台北，无论境遇如何多多少少的沉寂在故国的时光中，也许只是一条街道的名称都可以和故国取得某些联系，就像无数的夜晚总是喜欢重游故地，缅怀旧日。
同时这些人又有不同点，他们来自（在大陆时）不同地方，有北平，上海，也有湖南，桂林，职业也不尽相同，有学者，有小贩，有将领，有名媛太太，又有普通的工匠。
上述的特点就造成了小说在内在上被分割为两个时空的联系，一方面他们在台北的既成事实没办法改变，故国是无法归去，无论台北是多么的不同，却也生活了很多个时日，无论台北有多么的不同于原来，但他们却被称之为台北人。当然作者并不是仅仅停留在这个层次上。同样的还有对时光理想青春的留恋，比如有一篇中，主角的固故友的孩子出来，看到它的样子他不禁感慨长的相像，仿佛年轻了的故友，有如国葬中不停的对比老首长的青春中的峥嵘岁月和晚景凄凉，其实就是作者为那一代“台北人”唏嘘。
除此之外，不同阶层，不同年龄，不同遭遇。拼凑出了一个时代的大画面，往小的的说是人物写真，往大的说就是民国简史，勾勒了一个民国的画卷，来到台北这一批人难免有一丝落寞，因为无论什么原因来到台湾，总有一丝落荒而逃的感觉，总是有弃儿的感觉，至少不是宠儿，同样后代的变化也是这些人始料未及的，就像其中一篇中的教授，他想着会去，而他的孩子却想着去美国读博士。这些人心中多多少少有些矛盾，因为过去那么近（无论从距离还是时间），现在却那么远（无论从感情到熟悉）。
在谈谈作者语言，作者我形容他就是在���一种看似很冷淡的笔法，却总是在某个地方能击中读者的G点，总是大量的客观场景描写，但是一句“这又不是上海”诸如此类的对话立刻击中很多人的心。有点像恐怖片的场景营造，铺垫总是大量的，但是G点来到时候，这些铺垫再多你都觉得值得。所以该有的前戏还是不能少的.

[Adoria]

Évocations des exilés chinois à Taiwan dans les années 1950, qui se remémorent, souvent en fin de vie, certains épisodes vécus en Chine ou à Taipei. Certaines nouvelles m'ont touchées, d'autres moins. Il s'agit des intellectuels, des prostituées et des militaires majoritairement. J'ai beaucoup aimé le fait qu'il y ait de nombreux personnages féminins, parfois écrits à la première personne. Certains épisodes historiques m'étaient inconnus. Cette lecture était très agréable, mélancolique, instructive. Une entrée intéressante dans la littérature taïwanaise !

TW : mort, violences faites aux femmes, guerre, sang, sexualité
Certaines nouvelles sont très violente.

[Mi Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mình hiếm khi thích truyện ngắn lắm, tập truyện ngắn này là ngoại lệ nhé.

Cả quyển là nỗi buồn day dứt của những con người từ đại lục do thời thế phải trôi dạt sang Đài Bắc.

Đặc biệt thích 4 truyện, 3 truyện làm mình rơi nước mắt.

Đôi lúc nghĩ tại sao lại chọn đọc sách thay vì những sở thích khác giải trí hơn đấy. Nhưng rồi thỉnh thoảng lại đọc được những truyện như truyện ngắn cuối cùng của quyển này, cảm thấy hài lòng với lựa chọn đọc của bản thân.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taipei People is a collection of short stories written by Pai Hsien-yung when he was barely 30 years old.
I can’t help but marvel at how someone so young could write such a profoundly affecting and exquisite collection of work with such maturity and skill. Pai is, simply, extremely talented.
Pai was born in the province of Guangxi, and later lived the city of Nanking, Hongkong, Shanghai and Taipei. When he was studying in the States, during the sleepless nights, he pondered where ‘Home” was. Was it Guilin where he was born? Or was it Taipei? In the end, he decided that “Home” existed in our imagination. “Home”, to Pai, might have become a cultural concept, a nostalgia for the past.
That nostalgia is at the heart of this collection of short stories.
It is said that Pai’s short stories were greatly influenced by Dubliners. I have only read The Dead, I should really read the rest of the stories in Dubliners.

《台北人》是白先勇先生28至30岁之间写的。
他写书时是那样的年轻，而写下的却是一篇篇细腻深沉的”美人迟暮，英雄末路”，这不得不让人惊叹白于文学上的天赋。
白先勇先生出生于广西，先后又辗转于南京，香港，上海及台北等城市。在其留美，夜不能寐的时刻，便思考起到底”家”在何处。
是否是桂林，又抑或是台北？最后他觉得家是存在想象中的。”家” 于白先勇先生，也许变成了一个文化上的概念，一段回不去的过往。
而《台北人》就是这样借着14篇短篇小说，缅怀着那段回不去的过往，思念着那个到不了的家。
在《台北人》一书里，白对书名里的“台北”着墨极少，而且书中的人物都是从大陆迁至台北的。在49年之前，他们中有的是名妓名伶，有的是战争里的英雄或五四运动中的进步青年，他们都因为种种原因最终在台北定下了，可是他们似乎又都活在过去，从未随着时代变迁往前走。
这十四篇短篇几乎篇篇都可以被称作经典，可是我个人最喜欢的是《冬夜》《花桥荣记》以及《岁除》。
据说白的这部短篇小说集深受乔伊斯《都柏林人》的影响。很惭愧，《都柏林人》里的短篇我至今只读过一篇。实在应该把乔伊斯的这部经典读一遍。

[Booknerdslife Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reread for me, or at least some of the short stories in this book. Pai Hsien Yung is one of my all time favorite authors (besides Oscar Wilde) I first read his works (in my mother language, Chinese) when I was still in primary and was mesmerised by his writing. Love the way he writes about his characters, the sadness and loneliness stayed with me long after I read his books. He is the master in details. I tried reading the English edition of it, even tho it was co-translated by the author himself, its just not the same, you don’t get the same atmosphere and emotion when it’s in English, so I strongly encourage you to read it in its original form (again Chinese) if you could.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good set of short stories told from the perspectives of people who resettled from China to Taiwan in in 1950s. The narrators range from prostitutes to military leaders to maids, and they all have interesting things to say about the turns their lives have taken and the compromises they have been forced to make along the way. (I did fall asleep a lot while reading this, and feel compelled to disclose that. I am reluctant to blame the book, but still.)

[Sephreadstoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

GENTE DI TAIPEI

Bai Xianyong è uno dei maggiori autori contemporanei taiwanesi. In Italia lo conoscevamo solo per il suo "Il maestro della notte", Santo Graal del fuori catalogo, di cui vi parlai un po' di tempo fa per #AsiaInPride, un romanzo che descrive bene la comunità omosessuale dell'epoca.

Grazie a atmospherelibri, Bai Xianyong torna in Italia con una delle sue opere più rappresentative, "Gente di Taipei".

Bai Xianyong, figlio di un generale del Kuomitang (Partito Nazionalista cinese che fu poi sconfitto da quello Comunista), seguì la sorte di molti famigliari di militari di questo partito e fuggì prima a Hong Kong, poi a Taiwan, dove si stabilì.

Taiwan divenne così la casa di molti cinesi del continente espatriati che ricordavano con nostalgia i fasti della madrepatria e guardavano con superiorità gli autoctoni, considerati alla stregua di "selvaggi".

Nasce così Gente Di Taipei, ritratto di una società che Bai Xianyong conosceva molto bene e che ha riprodotto in questi quattordici racconti.

Malinconia e nostalgia sono i due tratti distintivi della sua prosa. I militari e le loro famiglie vivono nel costante rimpianto, a volte sfociando nella paranoia, di cio' che hanno si sono lasciati indietro lasciato in Cina.

Taluni riescono ad adattarsi come Yin Yueyan, regina della Shanghai notturna prima e di Taipei ora, altri sono rimasti cristallizzati nel passato, e tra prostitute, cantanti d'opera, cameriere, spunta anche il Maestro, il cui riferimento a "Il Maestro della notte" non è affatto casuale.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bai Xianyong uno dei ritrattisti migliori della lettura cinese e taiwanese.

Traduzione pessima, ma tant'è.

[Brittany Blinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally finished !!!! an interesting read that opened up my eyes to what the intersection of two very different cultures was like. definitely more fun to read in taiwan than in the US too:/

[aster · Rating 4 out of 5]

can’t lie this was a nice read!!! i can’t believe my first book of 2023 is a chinese one literally who would’ve thought not me!!! i actually really liked it because im a sucker for tragic nostalgic stories done right and they’re all centered around all sorts of different people with different pasts & different dreams!!! i also love learning about history & culture through actually interesting fiction so kudos 白先生 congratulations you got me to actually finish a chinese novel. do you understand the impossibility of the feat you have accomplished. it is truly very, very impressive

this book unfortunately counts toward 20% of my public exam grade so im just gonna talk about every story briefly to make sure i have a good grasp of the content okay here we go:
永遠的尹雪艷：it’s giving gaslight gatekeep girlboss!! honestly it’s somehow even more impressive that she’s not entirely cold & unfeeling towards everyone and she’s instead actually really hospitable & friendly which just adds to the overall creepiness since her actions speak louder when they actually matter, like how she only stops working for one night when 王貴生 gets executed. there are hints that she cares on a deeper level, like how she attends 徐壯圖’s funeral knowing she’d be judged for it, but then again maybe she just wants attention lmao you can never tell. (i also thought it was such a power move she was standing in the middle of the chaos like regina fkn george she made his wife FAINT LMAOOO) nevertheless, there is definitely a strong sense of tragedy in her life: she has the fame & money but she ruins every man’s life she touches (輕者家敗，重者人亡) and in the end she’s alone like she’s always been. though it’s less obvious, there is also the theme of not being able to let go of the past in her story: she hangs onto that fame from shanghai & tries to recreate it w/ her 公館 in 臺北, and even 吳經理 was a 常客 there. one different thing about her vs the other characters in this book is that she doesn’t seem to age which is inch resting 😩🤔 the ghost symbolism is also such a banger

一把青：this might honestly be my favourite one!!! 朱青 reminds me of wanda maximoff & she is a right where you left me by taylor swift girlie through & through 💔💔 i also looove war love stories and this one was so grounded bc it’s not about the men who fight themselves, it’s instead about their wives & widows. i really really feel for 朱青 because she was just a kid when she refused her family to get married to 郭軫. the theme of past vs present is super obvious in this one especially w/ the chapter divided into 2 sections. i also find it so bittersweet that out of everything she chooses to surround herself w/ the same people & the same risks of losing them, because she finds familiarity & comfort in that environment, even though it ends up numbing her. it’s clear that she’s pretending all these young men around her is 郭軫 & at first i thought she was trying to honour his memory or something but after i actually read the story i realise that it’s something more selfish than that and you know what good for her!!! she fkn deserves it!!!! my tutor also made the point that without this repetitive malicious cycle she wouldn’t be able to continue to survive & i agree! pursuing this past, staying in the same type of circles, gives her something to live for, a point to her life. it’s almost like a curse of some sort. a lot of these characters seem cursed, tbh. but the point of this book is that that’s just life. life is the curse. could not agree more

歲除：eh didn’t hate it one of the dialogue heavy ones but ig the point is that these characters no longer have the glory of their past & all they can do now is recount these stories to relive that thrill. also was fun to watch 賴鳴升’s spiral as the night went on however it simply didn’t have as much spice as 遊園驚夢’s 錢夫人’s idk. i feel bad for the host couple sdlkfj u can really see how being unwilling to let go of the past really makes these characters worse as people & a hassle to themselves & others too 💔

金大班的最後一夜：OH THATS MOTHERRRR the tragedy of being a woman is so evident in this one!! she does what needs to be done & understands the tragedy & inevitability of her fate, especially ever since the whole 月如 plus baby incident happened. before that though she made some decisions she sort of regrets now, but now she understands that there’s no escaping ageing, that she’s lucky to have a man to marry at all. but i admire her for her wisdom: though she knows all these truths, learned them the hard way, she doesn’t make it her girls’ problems & is kind enough to let 朱鳳 go with her blessing in the form of a ring worth 500 usd. she somehow keeps her humanity, which honestly can’t really be said for a lot of the other characters, who mainly just stay in the past & don’t pay much attention to what’s really happening before their eyes in the present. 金大班 has the courage to break the cycle or at least try to help 朱鳳 do it. that’s why she’s mother!!! she’s gone through so much trauma esp concerning the forced abortion but is still kind deep down & understands the pov of young women because she thought the same way once. the natasha romanoffism is strong with this one!

那片血一般紅的杜鵑花：ooof this one was dark. i remember the imagery of the corpse at the beginning rlly stayed with me cause it was a very striking description. unfortunately i personally do not feel much sympathy for 王雄 because he’s a creepy pos & i won’t say he deserved to die per se but it was definitely inevitable. the theme of past vs present is also evident & esp my previous point about how ppl in the present will try to find other ppl in the present to pretend it’s ppl in the past they used to know/love, and here it’s 王雄 using 麗兒 to replace 小妹仔. again could not feel for the protagonist, but this story was a page turner and the narrative flowed easier to read i feel like. but 王雄 seriously needs to grow a spine like why does an s1 have that much power over u? she killed ur fish so u kill urself??? be fucking for real!!!

思舊賦：i’m gonna be honest i don’t remember a lot from this one LMAOOO im not intending to write about it. the whole story happens in the dialogue & there’s a crazy son at the end??? 白先勇 i am not your strongest soldier 💔

梁父吟：holy shit is that a 登樓 reference 😱😱😱 this one was sort of… funny to me? 雷委員 just being like yes my teacher was the best person who ever lived he was literally a god maybe you should get some rest! and 樸公 is like nah man let me tell you all about our glory days during the revolution and then he falls asleep playing chess 😭 they’re literally the “ok grandpa let’s get you to bed” meme LKSDFSL this one was bittersweet tho too bad i can’t really relate to characters who are too old. i think the theme of characters being like oh in the future when we get the mainland back xxx and here it’s take his belongings & his soul back there is really sad esp because we know how it turns out lmao— [GUNSHOTS] there is definitely a feeling of 壯志未酬 and with all these powerful important figures getting old a lot of things seem hopeless 💔 pretty drab

孤戀花：bro this one might be the darkest one imo??? it’s so /sad/ 😭😭😭 for 尹雪艷 & 金大班 those two 交際花s at least give the impression that they’re content with what they do, and they’re pretty good at it too, earning a name for themselves. but the women in this story definitely feel like they were forced into this life with no choice & no shot at a better life. the theme of found family/motherhood here is also so sad… 阿六 treats the two different girls as her daughters since they were both motherless & she puts her blood swear & tears into it, just for her to lose both of them to the tragedy of their line of work & abusive men who are pieces of shit. it was actually so chilling to read about their abuse written in such a vivid way and it illustrates the 惡性循環 even clearer than with 朱青. i don’t really have much to say about this it left a really deep impression on me & i feel so sorry for all the girls in the story, the young ones getting abused & 阿六 just having to live with it. them knowing they have no way out of it. it’s so goddamn depressing

花橋榮記：the volume of the past vs present theme in this bus is aSTRONOMICAL!!! not only is it shown through the narrator 老闆娘 wanting to revive the 花橋榮記 of the past that her grandfather ran, it’s also shown through 盧先生 hanging onto his impossible hope of marrying 羅姑娘. there’s even more, with 老闆娘 losing her husband & her beauty from her youth. i do feel sympathy for 盧先生 but only to a certain extent cause according to all 老闆娘’s descriptions he really is a good & honest man! but his spiral at the end after losing his money & chances at marrying his fiancée from guilin was very jarring and after he hit those students remorselessly i don’t know what to feel about him 💔 shows how quickly one can become disillusioned from their idealisation of the future but i do feel sorry for 老闆娘 tho i hope her business improves 😭 there’s a really big sense of tragedy at the fact that she’s away from home & can’t find anyone who understands her & loses the one person who did

秋思：this one was kinda bland? 😭 華夫人 you will never be 錢夫人!!!! ok i feel like 錢夫人 is escalating on my character ranking she’s just a more complex character idk!!! this one is just her obsessing over her looks and white hair (I HAVE WHITE HAIRS TOO AND SO MUCH MORE THAN THE 1-2 THAT SHE HAS SHE NEEDS TO CALM DOWN FR) (like dont worry!!! i can promise you that you are NOT ageing faster than a hong kong high school student taking dses) there’s more stuff with flower symbolism & military husbands who used to be glorious but are now d word i kinda get why 白先勇 put this before 遊園驚夢 cause 遊園驚夢 deserves that spotlight that buildup. i do have a compliment for this story and it’s that it’s the shortest one in the book

滿天裏亮晶晶的星星：gonna be honest here also don’t remember this one… i mean the vibes are all there but it was just so hard to read 😭😭 all i know is that there are gay ppl (🔥🔥🔥) and they act in films but their leader guy fell off after the silent era sucks for him :/ and there was a car accident & an indecency case. what

遊園驚夢：THE ICON THE MOMENT THE LEGEND!!! MAN i loved the way this one was written even though i had to look up summaries AND read a translation to actually figure out the content 😭 but the drunk spiral is definitely one of the highlights of the entire book at least for me. the way her thoughts & words slur together & repeat incessantly? the way the sentences become shorter & shorter still?? the way her entire life flashes before her eyes on this particular night and we feel her fear & her doubt so vividly??? there’s also such a rich contrast between her & the other ladies who are invited. hell i’d be salty about my past glory too. the affair with the general’s attending staff officer was also such a nice touch—reminded me of high infidelity & satisfied!! it’s really sad how at a young age 錢夫人 is forced to already understand her position & privilege but at the same time the disadvantages?? her marrying a 60+ yo man as a 20yo caused a lot of problems but she understood she could only be loved this way, sort of like a trophy daughter… 💔 she understood her glory and everything. but in the present all of it has fallen away and we get a front row seat to her mental spiral as a result of her inebriation and it is GLORIOUS. sucks for her but at least we get some really good literature from it 😩 it’s just so inexplicably sad to see her lose the status she sacrificed so much for: everybody else has their own cars, she came in a taxi; she really did love 鄭彥青 but he ended up being taken by her own sister; she used to be famous for her singing voice but she’s too unnerved to sing tonight. like this contrast is so rich!!! i’d be so pissed!! she’s just like lizzie habsburg but if she’d never had makar and ended up losing all her past glory

冬夜：another bittersweet dialogue heavy one about past revolution stuff 🤠 i feel like this one was very grounded & human with all their friends now ageing& dying and i especially felt really sorry for 余教授 who very nearly made it to harvard to teach and lost his loving wife. he also makes for a very feeble impression & u truly just can’t help but feel so bad for his luck: in the past he literally helped lead the revolution & now he’s begging his friend for a chance to go teach at america. i really understand their desire to relive those thrills through stories more than 歲除 because at least they tried!!!! 賴鳴升 is all talk!! at least these two nice professors acknowledge that they’ve pathetically failed!!!! 😭😭 honestly makes me realise that i should cherish conversations about the past & culture & important experiences more cause there’s a lot to think about in thereee. leaves u feeling very sad for the two professors cause they’re stuck doing something they don’t want to in their late years. it’s very very ironic

國葬：last one WHEW i’m literally typing this out in tutorial rn DSLKFSKL this one had a handful of characters but we move ?? 秦義方 is a little funny for crying at the general’s picture like that but you do you lol. i did feel sad at the part with his son and how he wanted to comfort him but he didn’t even need the comfort cause he cut himself off from that family. the most most impressive part is the contrast between the two 「敬禮！」s!! SOOOO ZHONG GUUN SO BREATHTAKING. i was literally shook 😭😭 what a way to end the whole novel. perfect no notes!

enjoyed this novel, a great way for me to get to know history, culture, different stories from different types of people. (honestly tho their lives are so much more interesting than mine i wish my story was as worth telling nobody wants to read about someone wasting their life away studying for things they’re uninterested in 😭😭😭) definitely widened my worldview, opened my eyes further to all sorts of pain & longing that exists in different souls. i recommend!!! and might even reread one of these short stories every once in a while!!!!

WOOOO WE’RE DONE i hope you all enjoyed my nonsensical emoji-riddled rambling even though no one is going to read this except for myself. future aster good luck i’m going to print this out and highlight some shit and just. pray. u can do this az

[Liên]

I struggled mightily to finish 《台北人》:

1. Many characters’, and by proxy the writer’s, value system is so different from mine. Their 体面 is to me 虚荣, their 欢聚 conversations chock full of suffocating 虚套, their relationships tinged with what I'd call gaslighting. How am I expected to sympathize with the saudade, when I don’t get what’s worth longing for in the first place?
I had more luck sympathizing when the nostalgia is for a person (e.g. 卢先生) instead of some sort of 昔日的虚荣.

2. The writing is precise and pretty, but in many places shallow. I couldn’t feel the authenticity of a lived experience. Certain passages read distinctly like some armchair theorizing of what someone in this situation might think. The characters could be chattering on about the horrors of war, and I’d just be… bored. (Contrast with 《这些人那些事》中的《茄子》 -- I’d never ever forget that).

3. The characters are a product of their time, but this is no longer their time, and every so often I’d have to roll my eyes.
In more than one story, the male protagonist would have a former love interest in the mainland and a current one in Taipei. The former would be 年轻、灵透、纯洁、苗条、diligent about housework(!). The latter, you guessed it, was all the opposite (大奶大臀! Wouldn’t make tea for the guest! Wouldn’t wash the man’s blanket! Old woman whose biggest interest is mahjong!). Yes, metaphor for the past vs present yada yada, but I just can’t.
Also if I get a penny every time a male East Asian writer waxes lyrical about a 一身素白打扮 woman…
(To be fair, there are still decent female characters in 台北人 -- glad I made it past the first few stories, which were rough).

4. Repetitiveness. Motifs like past/present lovers appeared more than once. Characters might hail from different classes and places, but their life arcs were all the same.

[Sabina Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pai Hsien-yung’s 白先勇 (Bái Xiānyǒng, 1937-) *Taipei People*《臺北人》contains masterful stories.

Two or three are exquisite.

Pai's symbolism and literary Chinese are so rich that I regularly teach the story "The Eternal Snow Beauty" (1965) in both literature classes and translation workshops. For a sense of the story's depth, here are four questions I pose for short written responses and class discussion:

1. In Pai Hsien-yung’s 白先勇 (Bái Xiānyǒng, 1937-) “Yǒngyuǎn de Yǐn Xuěyàn” 永遠的尹雪艷 (The Eternal Snow Beauty, 1965), what do the mainland émigrés’ attempts to recapture the past suggest about the power and dangers of nostalgia?

2. In Bai’s story, how does the narrator’s account undermine the presentation of the splendor of Taipei’s Shanghainese exiles? Analyze the story’s methods for conveying moral decay within its portrayal of enviable leisure, comfort and gentility.

3. As the son of an illustrious general, Bai Xianyong enjoyed a unique advantage in observing people from various social groups. Not surprisingly, his characters come from many socioeconomic and sociolinguistic groups. Discuss the dialogic interplay between the juxtaposed voices and disparate worldviews in his story.

4. Interpret the sense of mystery associated with Yin Hsueh-yan. How might such a vision honor or neglect specific aspects of her humanity?

Here are three additional prompts that I use for several of Pai's stories:

5. Analyze the symbolism of light, color or another element in one story.

6. How does emphasis on appearance or class underscore one story's main theme(s)?

7. Analyze one story to consider the characters' efforts to hold on to dignity in the face of disillusionment, shame, or regret.

[Hygge · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Én lầu Vương Tạ thuở nào
Bây giờ lưu lạc bay vào nhà dân"

[Kieu Trang · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25*/5
Tuyển tập truyện ngắn này lay động bạn theo một cách không ngờ luôn nhé.
Chủ đề của Ng Đài Bắc là hoài niệm những gì đã quá vãng, những thay đổi của những số phận khác nhau trong dòng chảy của lịch sử, của thời đại.
Một hoa khôi của Bách Lạc môn, một chỉ huy quân đội hết thời, phu nhân sư trưởng, giáo sư danh giá, hay thậm chí là danh tướng lẫy lừng, hay những thân phận bình thường nhất như anh thầy giáo, gái bán hoa…đều chẳng thể nào cứu vãn được.
Một số truyện khá ám ảnh, ấn tượng với mình như là “Vạt hoa đỗ quyên đỏ như máu”, “Một thoáng xanh”, “Tư Cựu Phú”…
Hy vọng sau sẽ có nhiều tác phẩm của Bạch Tiên Dũng được chuyển ngữ để bạn đọc tiếp.

[Jo Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evocative, with a regretful undercurrent that holds throughout each story. The stories bring to life the extraordinary experience of fleeing one home to rebuild in a new, almost familiar, city.

花無百日紅

[Kristen Fu · Rating 4 out of 5]

和纽约客完全不是一个级别的啊。好看。
还是尹雪艳活的明白。

[Lulu'sBoba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sucks, only read it for hw

[Barack Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

524-Taipei People-Pai Hsien yung- Novel-1971

Barack
2024/06/23


"Taipei People", first published in 1971, is a highly complex collection of short stories, consisting of fourteen first-rate short stories. When connected together, the effect is greatly increased. Not only does the scope of the novel become wider, allowing us to see "all kinds of people" in society, but more importantly, due to the repeated theme and mutual accompaniment, we can further understand the meaning of the work in-depth, and get a glimpse of the author's outlook on life and the universe hidden in the work.

Bai Xianyong was born in Nanning, Guangxi in 1937. His father was the senior general Bai Chongxi, and his mother Ma Peizhang was the daughter of Ma Jianqing (Ma Weiqi), the magistrate of Xing'an County at the time and a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. He is a Chinese-American writer, critic, dramatist, Kunqu opera producer, professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Bowen Chair Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He studied at the Department of Hydraulic Engineering of National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, the Department of Foreign Literature of National Taiwan University, and the University of Iowa in the United States.

In 1968, he wrote the short story "The Last Night of Madame Jin". In 2004, he participated in the production of the Kunqu opera youth version of "The Peony Pavilion", which premiered in Taipei and caused a sensation. Since then, it has been performed many times across the Taiwan Straits and four places and has toured more than 200 times in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece, and other places.

Pai Hsien-yung has publicly stated that he is a homosexual in Hong Kong but rarely mentions his sexual orientation in public in Taiwan, China. Pai Hsien-yung once said that he believed his father knew about his homosexuality, but he never really talked to him about it.

Table of Contents
Peony Fate
Yin Xueyan forever
A handful of green
New Year's Eve
The Last Night of Jin Daban
The blood-red azalea
Nostalgia
Liangfuyin
Lonely Love Flower
Huaqiao Rongji
Autumn Thoughts
The sky is full of shining stars
Dream in the Garden
Winter Night
State funeral

Starting from June 17, 2024, I decided to make an attempt, which was to write a novel. There are several motivations for this attempt. First of all, I think that in life, we often encounter some interesting people and things. If we don't record them, it would be a pity. Bai Xianyong mentioned in "Peony Marriage" that he became connected with Guangxi Normal University Press because he adapted the play "Peony Pavilion" at that time. Even if the author of an excellent work passes away one day, the work can be passed down. This is the greatest charm of art. Technology also has a similar function of freezing time; but when we enjoy the convenience of technology, we often don't know who invented these technologies, but when we enjoy works of art, we will pay special attention to who the creator is. The second motivation for writing novels is that real life is often unsatisfactory, but in novels, there can be so-called "cool articles" that transcend the limitations of reality. The third motivation is probably because I have read a few more books and often feel that it is difficult to let go of certain historical figures and events.

"Forever Yin Xueyan" tells the story of a dancer who was very popular in Shanghai before liberation. Regardless of gender, some people are born with a stronger ability to attract the opposite sex. The Analects of Confucius says, "Guanju is joyful but not lewd, sad but not hurt." It is not easy to write about the love between men and women in a way that is both realistic and not full of lust. When the author wrote these short stories in the 1960s, he was studying at the University of Iowa. Although he was in a cornfield, the stories he wrote made people feel the prosperous atmosphere. After 60 years, it still makes people feel immersive. Storytelling does not necessarily have to tell something grand and magnificent, but what is more important is how to tell a good story.

"A Touch of Green" tells the contrast between a girl who lost her husband at the age of 20 and her lover at the age of 30. A person's appearance is largely determined by his or her experiences. A shy girl may one day become a woman with unruly words and deeds; a shy boy may also become a greasy uncle. Is this the only way to deal with the suffering brought by the years? We say that the feeling of youth and girlhood is really so difficult to maintain. We maintain our skin to resist physical aging. Similarly, our hearts also need to be vigilant and maintained.

"New Year's Eve" tells the story of a frustrated soldier. People say, "Heroes die, beauties age", which are all sentimental things. The more a person wants to tell others about his past achievements, the more he proves that he has nothing to say about his current state. When you are young, you are full of vigor and vitality, and you are physically and mentally satisfied, so you are naturally proud. However, as time goes by and you get older, not only does your appearance gradually age, but your heart also becomes fond of reminiscing about the past glory because of the gap in your decline. Regardless of whether the audience is interested or not, and regardless of the audience's feelings, just tell your own great achievements. We should try to avoid becoming such people. If the audience is just trying to cater to me to save my face, it is better not to tell.

"The Last Night of Lady Jin" tells the story of a woman who has been in the dance hall for twenty years and finally married a rich old man to retire. Those veterans who are at ease in the romantic places, who is not a young boy or girl who once loved spring? The lucky ones enter into married life early, and although they may not have the opportunity to see a bigger forest, they may find stability in the ordinary. Some people, due to subjective or objective misfortunes, have never been able to meet their own good fate and have not been able to achieve the right result. The latter may get more satisfaction in carnal desires, seemingly better than the former, but will they really get peace of mind? Sometimes I think that these sensory pleasures may be like seawater, the more you drink, the thirstier you are, and the more thirsty you are, the more you drink. However, if you have not experienced the world of mortals, how can you understand the taste of it?

The story of the Blood-Red Azalea is about a retired soldier who drifts in a foreign land. He first forms a father-daughter relationship with his employer's daughter but is eventually rejected. At a relatively young age, I lost confidence in human emotions to some extent. Because I didn't know how to establish an intimate relationship with others, I even avoided intimate relationships. But later I realized that intimate relationships are an important part of achieving happiness in life. This kind of intimate relationship is not limited to love, but also family and friendship. At the same time, we must also acknowledge the uncertainty of feelings. Today you are in love, but tomorrow you may never see each other again; today's friends may become strangers tomorrow. The previous attitude of avoiding intimate relationships was certainly wrong, but it is also not advisable to completely rely on the emotions of others, especially a specific person, for your happiness in life. After thinking about it, I think the best way is probably to treat others with sincerity. If others can also treat you with sincerity, then enjoy the time together; if others cannot treat you with sincerity, then let them be.

"A Dream in the Garden" tells the story of a group of rich ladies gathering to watch a play. The general's wife, who was once glorious, has now lost her glory and support. She used to be the concubine of a minor official, but now she has survived. Not only has her husband been promoted, but she has also been promoted to a noble lady. In such social occasions, showing off and ridicule are mixed together, and the scene is like a Shura field. I have not experienced such a gathering, but what is the difference between the so-called social skills and human warmth of these so-called upper-class societies and the circles of the market?

[Maru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tập truyện ngắn về các số phận người "chạy nạn" từ Đại Lục sang Đài Loan, mang theo những hoài niệm về một thời rực rỡ trong quá khứ.
Đối tượng của các câu chuyện đủ các tầng lớp: gái nhảy, ma cô, quan chức, tướng tá. Tất cả đều cố níu giữ một thời vàng son, cuối cùng đều phải chấp nhận thế thời đổi thay, tiếp tục sống tiếp. Sự loạn lạc, chia cắt đã làm con người trở nên chai sạn với nỗi đau, thuận theo gió thổi mà sống.
Tôi không đánh giá tập truyện này hay, cũng không thấy đây là tác phẩm "cần đọc", nó phù hợp cho một buổi chiều se lạnh với tách trà nóng, muốn đọc một thứ gì đó dễ chịu nhưng không quá tươi sáng. Bởi lẽ đó, tôi nghĩ nếu nhà phát hành có thể làm bìa mềm, chi phí sách rẻ hơn, thì tôi sẽ thấy hài lòng hơn đôi chút.

[k · Rating 4 out of 5]

i know we read this school but why did《那片血一般紅的杜鵑花》and《冬夜》go so hard. it's the way individuals are displaced from their homelands and subject to the uncaring machinations of fate and war (i.e. chinese-taiwanese tensions) for me xx

this is /the/ work of taiwanese lit you should read if you want to understand [taiwan] though

not a full four stars because the on-the-nose jingoistic militarism war hero commentary did not hit for me personally

[Chóe · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 truyện ngắn, 14 nỗi buồn.

Mỗi kiếp người là một câu chuyện, đều là sự nuối tiếc khôn nguôi về quá khứ, sự bất lực trước hiện tại thảm bại, và đương nhiên không hề có hi vọng nào cho tương lai.

Bạch Tiên Dũng hay thật. Dịch giả cũng tuyệt vời.

Mình cũng không biết thích truyện nào nhất, mỗi truyện đều có một tư vị đắng rất riêng.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

all storied have a oppressive and dreamlike quality. almost like reading ghost stories. overarching theme of longing for the past, for a time and place that is no longer. the amount of melancholy and despair in most of the stories is not for the faint of heart.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

这本书像是在写朴实古典的人生意味 也像是用不同人物小传撰写的历史 很喜欢看白先勇描写贵妇 姨太太的外貌妆容 感觉百乐门的灯红酒绿就在眼前 也喜欢看他描写环境用的那些独特词语 晚霞“凝固”在天上 月亮是“带着血丝的肉球” 乍一听有些不唯美 仔细一想确实形象 也许放不下过去的异乡人眼中的世界就是这样 时代背景下每个人都是沧海一粟 除了自己 没人会理解 也没人会在意 选择过去的灵和青春 还是接受现实的肉和功利 不同的人做出不同的选择 有的主动 有的被动 最喜欢“那片血一般红的杜鹃花”和“冬夜” 总觉得 白先勇的故事让李安来拍一定会很精彩

[Chen Ann Siew · Rating 5 out of 5]

台北人写的其实是大陆人逃到台湾后的生活。不同故事里的人物，都写得十分鲜明，也代表了当时社会不同阶尘的生活，有军官、名门望族、上流社会，也有文人、侍人、甚至陪唱妓女等。故事中往往反映人物对大陆过去生活的怀念和憧憬，也道出了岁月和不由自主的历史发展对这些人物所造成的残忍。里头的故事都印象深刻，可最喜欢的还是游园惊梦和梁父吟。一本值得收藏的小说集。

[Rollpa Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

不说家国离骚了，就是看完了基本译制书之后再读这本，简直如沐春风。