Description
Set in 1967 at the height of the Cultural Revolution’s Maoist fervor, this daring novel follows Liu Lian, the wife of a powerful military commander, whose carefully managed domestic life collides with desire and taboo. When she establishes a provocative “rule” tied to the household’s ever-present slogan—“Serve the People!”—a young peasant soldier in her home, Wu Dawang, becomes both her confidant and her transgression. Yan Lianke blends sharp satire with intimate, unsettling comedy to expose how political language can be weaponized, eroticized, and emptied of meaning. With its audacious use of Mao-era imagery and its fearless attention to power, performance, and intimacy under surveillance, the book stands as a provocative portrait of love and control in a society that demands total obedience.
Available Editions
paperback
Penguin Random House
Published Jan 1, 2021
ISBN: 9781529113914
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Details
First Published
2007
Language
eng
Translation
From: chi
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Serve the People! by Yan Lianke.