May 1989. Tens of thousands of students are camped out in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. But what started as a united protest at the slow pace of their government's political reform has begun to lose direction: people from all over China are coming to join the demonstration, but the students at its heart are confused by the influence they suddenly wield, and riven by petty in-fighting. One of them, Dai Wei, argues with about everything from democracy to the distribution of food to protestors, little knowing that, on 4 June, a soldier will shoot a bullet into his head, sending him into a deep coma.
As Dai Wei lies immobile in his mother's Beijing flat: his body has become his prison, but his memories offer a means of escape. We watch him fall in love, drop out of school, arrive at university - and become increasingly politicised. From his coma, Dai Wei can't see or move but he can hear what's happening in the world beyond: his mother's struggle to keep him alive; the government's attempt to suppress all memory of the Tiananmen massacre; his friends' involvement in China's frenetic capitalism. As the almost minute-by-minute chronicling of the lead-up to his shooting becomes ever more intense, the reader is caught in a gripping emotional journey where the boundaries between life and death are increasingly blurred.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
'...a modern literary masterpiece...Ma Jian has created an intense, passionate and painful-to-read parable for today..' -- Sunday Express
'...this vivid, pungent, often blackly funny book is a mighty gesture of remembrance against the encroaching forces of silence'
-- Guardian
'A landmark account through fiction of a country whose rise has amazed the world, but which remains cloaked in shadows' -- The Times
'China after Tiananmen Square is memorably captured in this fine fictional portrait' -- The Sunday Times
'Ma Jian controls his different time frames masterfully...a defining novel'
-- The Tablet
'an important testimony... of the tragedies and frustrations of Chinese people's everyday lives'
-- The New Statesman
'the picture of China, over a span of some fifty years, is intricate and vivid .. a remarkable book' -- Literary Review
`...an epic yet intimate work that deserves to be recognised and to endure as the great Tiananmen novel... magnificent book' -- Financial Times
`This vivid, pungent, often blackly funny book is a mighty gesture of remembrance against the encroaching forces of silence'
-- London Review of Books
`this landmark novel by a dissident in exile has already claimed a place as a classic work of witness', -- The Independent, Justin Wintel
Beijing Coma is Ma Jian's masterpiece. Spiked with dark wit, poetic beauty and deep rage, it takes the life (and near-death) of one young student to create a dazzling and excoriating novel about contemporary China
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Beijing Coma This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780701178079
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Hardback. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Fine first edition, first issue in dustwrapper. Signed by the author with his delightful caligraphic signature to the title page. A perfect copy of this most impressive novel. As an enthusiastic collector myself I make every effort to provide a high level of service. Enquiries welcomed. Paypal accepted. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 002149
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Chatto & Windus, London, 2008. hardcover. Condition: near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: near fine. First edition, first printing. Translated by Flora Drew. Signed by author Ma Jian on title page. Enclosed in a Brodart archival dustwrapper. Photos available upon request. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # ABE-1614534535256
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. A fine UK first edition, first printing hardback - in a fine unclipped dustjacket fitted with a removable clear mylar sleeve - All my books are always securely packed with plenty of bubblewrap in professional boxes and promptly dispatched (within 2-3 days) - SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR & THE TRANSLATOR - Pictures available upon request. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 001032
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Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition. A fine unread 1st impression in a fine dustwrapper. Translated from the Chinese by Flora Drew. Signed by the author and translator on the title page. The author has signed in both Chinese and english and dated [2019.6.1] the book. Signed at the Hay Festival. Signed by Author & Translator. Seller Inventory # 008995
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