MCLC: Chen Xiwo's "I'm Hurt"

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Chen Xiwo's "I'm Hurt"
***********************************************************

Source: Global Times (6/10/14):
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/864921.shtml

Working through the pain
By Xu Ming

There's a common notion that even if reading doesn't provide knowledge,
wisdom or enlightenment, at the very least it can bring you pleasure. This
idea, however, may not necessarily apply when it comes to novelist Chen
Xiwo's I'm Hurt [陈希我，《我疼》], as the new book is all about pain.

Published by the People's Literature Publishing House, I'm Hurt is a
collection of nine short novels, each talking about physical or
psychological anguish of some kind. With these stories the author hopes to
stimulate the pain centers of readers' brains in a deliberately unpleasant
way.

The nine circles of hell

"We never notice that we have a soul, until we are hurt," says the book's
cover. 

With that message as its stepping stone, I'm Hurt covers the various
painful situations that people encounter in real life, from the physical
such as a daughter suffering from painful menstruation cramps to the more
spiritual like the pain of loneliness a rich woman who pays for male
prostitutes experiences, the author covers a full range of situations.

The most impressive story, touches on the concept of euthanasia by
depicting the pain a dying woman's children experience as they struggle
with the dilemma of sustaining her life at the price of her pain, or
letting her pass on at the price of their own.

The mother, tortured by disease, decides to give up her life, but her
three daughters cannot afford to let her go at the risk of being
criticized as "unfilial," so they continue to try to rescue her from
death, which consequently brings the mother even more pain.

In the seventh story, "Bathroom," Chen shows the pain and misery of
Chinese immigrants to other countries. In the story a wife heads to Tokyo
to further her education, later attempting to find a way for her husband
to come join her. Later, her husband arrives only to discover the horrible
lengths she had to go to get him into the country.

Such psychological and ethical dilemmas run through all nine stories,
often making readers feel a harsh pain beyond their ability to bear.

"We've all experienced pain, but in this book I want to show pain in a
wider and deeper sense, the innate pain, the pain of a society in
transformation and so on," Chen said.

Deliberate offense

The common feeling among readers is that Chen's book is a rather
depressing read. His novels, unlike other books that provide readers an
enjoyable reading experience, usually leave readers in a state of
depression with its heavy truths and revelations about the dark or shady
side of life.

"Chen Xiwo is never a novelist looking to please you. He doesn't expect
readers to like him or love him at all. I don't like him either," wrote Li
Jingze, the vice-president of the Chinese Writer's Association, in the
preface. 

"When I read his books, I have to take a deep breath and relax. I feel
nervous, as if I'm going to get into the ring to face a ruthless rival."

Chen never hesitates to penetrate the painful part of life and present it
to readers bluntly, forcing then to face the hidden part of life that they
may "not be willing to see."

Chen holds to the ideal that "writing is offending." This notion of
writing is demonstrated in many of his works, including I Love My Mum,
Irritation, Exile, Immigrants and so on.

Crowned as a post avant-garde writer, Chen's works are considered by some
critics as "abnormal" illustrations of life. However, Chen doesn't take
this as a negative, "I think the abnormality of life is where literature
should start. We don't need to write about our normal lives," Chen
explains, adding that many of his novels are not completely baseless.

According to Chen, much of I'm Hurt is based on his personal experience.
The story of the dying mother is based on the experiences of his own
grandmother and his wife's grandmother. While his grandmother died at 100,
she spent the last 20 years bedridden. "We all come to that moment when we
take our last breath. It is unavoidable. … China has become an aging
society. It is time to talk about euthanasia."

"Chinese people like to stress pursuing happiness in the present. It helps
us survive the suffering we've experienced in history, but also makes us
to ignore or even shun the existence of suffering, which delays solutions.
… I want to wake up Chinese people's awareness of misery and pain. Pain is
still there despite your numbness. So it is better to treat it as proof of
our existence and develop compassion for human society as a whole," Chen
said.

Search for truth

Born in 1963 in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, Chen graduated from Fujian Normal
University and studied in Japan from 1989 to 1994. He started to write in
the 1980s and aroused much controversy in the 1990s for his blunt
portrayals of the shady side of life.

Now he has become the author of dozens of novels and the winner of many
domestic literature prizes. His works have also been introduced to
countries such as Britain, the US, France, Japan and Singapore.

Reflecting on the development of his style, Chen said that he focused on
uncovering the truth of life from the start. "This probably has to do with
my personality. I was deceived a lot in my childhood, so I seldom confided
in others. As my secrets grew stale, I had to write them out to some
extent."

Despite earning huge recognition over the years, his penetrating and blunt
depiction of life remains controversial in China.

"Truth is always hidden in shadows we cannot or are unwilling to face. We
desire for truth, but truth usually appears dreadful," Chen said,
addressing the controversy about his works.

"But revealing the truth is not my ultimate goal," he added. "We cannot
depend on the truth to live. I hope good things, such as belief or
compassion can come from the truth. The purpose of I'm Hurt is to show
compassion."