BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS by Dai Sijie

The best word I have for this book is delightful.  This is an older book – 2002 was the English translation from the French – but I had never heard of it.  It was recommended by someone in our book discussion group, and we will be discussing this next week. 

The story is of two young Chinese men in their late teens who have been sent to the countryside for reeducation in the 1970’s.  Both have prominent and educated parents – one (the narrator of the story) has parent s who were both physician specialists; the other, his best friend Luo – a famous dentist father who had once treated Chairman Mao.  The humiliation / denunciation of Luo’s father is described early in the book in understated terms.   The emotional impact of the situation is hinted at when afterwards, Luo punches his best friend in the face for the first time and for no apparent reason.   That’s an example of the delicate writing in this book.

The two young men are sent to toil in an obscure mountainous area, working with a village of farmers who, we are told, have been reluctantly forced to give up the opium trade.  The severity of their surroundings is also underplayed, but they are forced to carry heavy loads on treacherous mountain paths and to work at least once a month in a very dangerous mine, in the nude (due to heat) and pulling loads by wearing leather halters.

Amidst this, they show that they are still teenagers.   One of their early tricks is to turn the clock in their quarters back an hour, so when the headman comes to rouse them, they show him that he’s an hour early.  Sometimes, when it suits them, they move the clock ahead.

Their lives totally change through two occurrences.  First, they meet another young man in exile, and discover that he has a suitcase full of contraband books – Balzac, Hugo, Dumas, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Dickens, and others.   There follows a comedy of errors, whereby they manage to steal the suitcase for themselves.

Secondly, they meet the title “little Chinese seamstress”, the daughter of the area’s tailor, who is an important man in town.  As they have read and memorized some of the stolen books, they are able to recite stories, particularly Balzac, to the young woman.  She is feminine and dainty and is sought-after; she falls for Luo, who is the more forceful of our two young men, and they become lovers.  The author paints wonderful scenes of the two young people swimming nude in an isolate mountain lake.   The seamstress fashions a loin cloth of leaves.  The imagery is wonderful.

The novel also paints very funny portraits of the local people:   the headman who insists that Luo must treat his toothache, and the two take the opportunity to inflict maximum pain; the old man from who they are trying to solicit folk tales.  They want to trade these to the book owner (this is before the plan to steal the books has been put into play).   The old man insists they sit on his bed, which is filthy and covered with crawling insects, and he serves them a dish that consists of stone cooked in a salty sauce; one sucks on the stones and then spits them on the floor. 

In the end, they lose the girl.   I won’t reveal how.

 The novel presents a light-hearted approach to a serious and sometimes tragic time, by understating, but not minimizing, the pain.

Books about the "Indian Wars"

EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON by S.C. Gwynne  and BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE by Dee Brown

I select what to read mostly by chance.   I do look for recommended books, both from reviews and other people (though I’ve found that a lot of people recommend some really awful books, particularly suggestions I get from Postcrossing.  Tastes really vary).  But the order in which I obtain or read / listen to a book is mostly chance.

I selected the EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON as an audiobook since I had seen the title – specifically, in a “Best Books of 2010” feature in the local paper.  I later added BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE since it is on the same subject, and I had heard of it years ago.

The subject matter is Indians – as in “cowboys and Indians”, without the cowboys.  This is one of those subjects where I have been receiving information all my life – reading, hearing things, seeing  movie and TV images.  But I never really put the issue right in front of my eyes.  The issue, of course, is how we Europeans settlers stole this country from the native peoples  - and how savage were they, really?

I find the last question fascinating.  (Caveat – I am only half-way through BURY MY HEART OF AT WOUNDED KNEE.  However, I expect only the details of the history, not the basic theme, to change as I finish the book.)  Gwynne’s account focuses on the Comanche’s, who were reputed to be among the most brutal of the tribes.  When I think of Comanche’s, I think of movies where isolated homesteaders on a dusty plain are brutally attacked and murdered by a band of roving Indians.   According to the descriptions in Gwynne’s book, this is largely accurate.   Provocation?  Of course.  First, there is the relentless push of white “manifest destiny” to settle the continent.   The sense of various tribes being overrun over a period of 100+ years was best conveyed by Dee Brown. 

However, there are varying comments on the brutalities of the various wars with the Indians.  Gwynne describes Comanche rape and torture of opponents as commonplace.  However, he points out that these same tactics were used against other tribes in warfare.  He likens Indian tribes to early civilizations (like the Vikings) to point out that things considered as atrocities today were taken more for granted in civilizations at earlier stages. 

This is an assertion that invites all sorts of comment, much of it obvious.   The Comanche’s apparently wouldn’t condemn a tribal member for torturing a captive.  Modern society would condemn this sort of behavior –but, in many instances, would still engage in it.  I keep thinking of King Leopold’s forces in the Congo in the 1800’s:  standard practice to cut off the hands of non-cooperative natives. 

Dee Brown paints a more complete portrait of the atrocities visiting on the often unsuspecting and friendly Indians by European troops.  He shows instances where white atrocities (mutilation of victims) were later copied by Indians.  It’s noted that some cruel practices of Southwest Indians were learned from the Spanish. 

I guess we’re all people, and that includes all these ugly parts.

As a descendant of Europeans who truly stole all this land from Native Americans, what can I say about it?  Not much.  Not more than I can say about slaves being brought from Africa – though my heritage is thoroughly Northern.    Dee Brown starts each chapter with a list of events happening all over the world in the year being discussed.  It’s amazing to contrast the “modern” events with the Indian wars.   Brown’s descriptions of Indian chiefs traveling to Washington and New York for treaty talks are quite interesting.  Anther event listed is when African Americans were given the right to vote – but not Indians! 

Gwynne describes how quickly and thoroughly the buffalo were killed and the Great Plains, and driven almost to extinction.  It really hurts to read this.

The fascinating part of Gwynne’s book, however, is his portrayal of Quanah Parker, one of the last Comanche chiefs.  Parker’s mother was Cynthia Ann Parker, abducted from her Texas settler family at a young age, and thoroughly assimilated into the Indian tribe.  The famous John Wayne movie THE SEARCHERS was supposedly based on this notorious abduction (I haven’t seen the original movie, but it’s now been remade with Jeff Bridges, so it should be outstanding). 

In his youth, Parker was as “bloodthirsty”, cruel, and aggressive against settlers as any.  As the years went on, and it became obvious that the white man would win, Parker showed his remarkable intelligence in adapting to the new circumstances, and becoming a leader of the subdued Indians – capitalizing on any economic opportunity.  As he grew older, he was a champion of his people – truly one of those unique individuals in history. 

Though I’m not yet done with the Dee Brown book, and I realize that it may have been one of the first of its kind, the story and approach taken by Gwynne was quite engaging and readable.  My understanding of these events has been clarified, even if it adds to my internal store of hurt and regret about this world.