John Pomfret (Chinese Lessons) Readings In NYC On September 20 And In SF on September 28
I am a big fan of the book Chinese Lessons, and of its author, John Pomfret, whom I have heard speak many times on NPR and who I consider an excellent guide to understanding the generation of Chinese who were young teens during the Cultural Revolution.
Mr. Pomfret will be reading from his book at 192 Books (h/t to the Critical Mass Blog) in New York City on September 20 at 7 pm and in San Francisco at Stacey's Books on September 28, from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm.
Since I did my initial post on Chinese Lessons, the Prince Roy blog has somewhat unfavorably reviewed it. Though I disagree with the Prince's review, I found it very thoughtful and I recommend reading both the post itself and its comments.
Comments (4)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endPrince Roy - September 18, 2006 3:28 AM
Hi Dan,
thanks for the link, and your comment on my site. You raise some good points, which I'll respond to later this evening. For the record, I did like the book, but am not so enamoured of it as you and others appear to be. On Amazon's five star scale, I'd rate it from 3-3.5 stars.
China Law Blog - September 18, 2006 9:52 AM
That's the beauty of books (and movies, and music, for that matter): people see them differently. I saw many people I knew in Pomfret's book and I did not connect with any of the people in Oracle Bones (which I know you loved), with the possible exception of the Uyghur (whose name escapes me right now), and I did not get as good a feel for him as I would have liked. There were other people in the book I found interesting, but more from an historical perspective than anything else.
Douglas - September 19, 2006 11:31 AM
I have only begun reading the work, and so far I enjoy the characterizations very much. I especially liked the young man who shook Pomfret's hand while relating, seemingly matter of factly, that he was the first foreigner the man had met.
I am a sucker for any work or book about the Cultural Revolution and have read many such works. Nevertheless, it is hard for me to approach such a book, particularly one written by a foreign journalist, without a feeling akin to a world-weary veteran reliving the last siege.
My sense is that while Pomfret writes a book as a good journalist (attempting to be truthful to his experiences and, more importantly, the experiences of those around him, privileging veracity over sensationalism), something more might be required at this point to give meaning and depth to this period, some philosohical or theoretical or historical grasp that journalists, while ready observers of daily life, do not normally possess. (Of course, one can't criticize Pomfret for failing at something he didn't attempt. One can, however, examine the limitations of the genre he chose).
What strikes me is that Pomfret is not only an engaging writer and keen observer of his times, but a decent human being. The question is however: can a decent human being write a truly great book and not simply a decent one?
China Law Blog - September 19, 2006 2:21 PM
Doug --
Thanks for checking in.
I do think it is unfair to criticize the book for something it is not and neither tries nor purports to be. It is not an examination of the cultural revolution. It is an examination of the impact China's ups and (mostly downs) have had on the lives of a few people Pomfret observes.
My complaints with journalist usually stem from their believing that they are political scientists, historians, and/or economists, psychologists, etc., rather than observer/writers. If anything, Pomfret should be commended for sticking to the craft, and, by sticking to the craft so well, he allows the reader to pull out the conclusions and make the political/historical/economics/pschological analysis.
I will leave the question as to whether a decent human being can write a "truly great book and not simply a decent one" to others better read than I.