A great clash of Eastern and Western Cultural values
Written: Jun 07 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Real life story, wonderfully written, engaging, vivid. Everything a great novel should be.
Cons: More people haven't read it.
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| DuffMan's Full Review: Mark Salzman - Iron and Silk |
In Mark Salzman's "Iron & Silk," you are taken by a young man to the far away play of Hunan Province, China. Salzman relates his story of being an English teacher, at a Yale-exchange program, at Hunan Medical College during the latter part of what must be the 1980's. Much of the book revolves around Salzman's fascination with all things mystical and different about Eastern culture.
It is this fascination that tends to lead Salzman to find all manner of different characters. It is these characters that really add to the telling of the story. Salzman's style of writing is very flowing, with one scene leading to the next. In fact, a good portion of his book is spent describing everything he sees and experiences around him -- imagery plays a large role in this novel. Each different scene is punctuated because it contains one person who thoroughly dominates Salzman's life at that particular point. There is a plethora of people who we see regularly, but in particular memorable scene, Salzman is one-on-one with some type of instructor. Be it during his martial arts training, simple calligraphy, or a small dinner of a floating fishing junk, you get the feeling that Salzman is an outsider. He does well in everything he aspires to during his stay in China, but he absolutely keeps the aura of a Westerner about him.
However, for those of you with slightly more humorous tastes, have no fear! This book, while filled with metaphors and sections where you almost need to sit back and reflect, is also delightfully entertaining. Watching as Salzman attempts to deal with local customs and traditions in the way of a Western point of view, or in particular watching him try and handle the Communist government for a simple thing as a postage stamp. One memorable scene is where he turns in a dead rat to the government office for a small reward, only to be told by smiling officers that he can’t have one because, according to the official government statement to the U.S., there are no rats in China. While everyone knows this is completely untrue, it helps demonstrate the esoteric, yet in a way logical, metamorphoses of Communism in China.
Mark Salzman allows us to peak into a world that is rapidly vanishing under the coming onslaught of capitalism. The China he saw back in the 80’s is becoming more and more rare, and children in China are exposed to western influences. Yet it gives the reader a fascinating insight into a world that is far different than our own, and allows the reader to vicariously experience this different culture, perhaps before it is absorbed in a homogeneous global society. This was one effort of Salzman’s, to show the world this hidden place, and he does so remarkably. Both oddly sad and delightfully funny, this book will not leave your hands until you have learned everything about China Salzman is willing to divulge. Then, it will not leave you mind until you have decided how it fits into your life.
Cheers, and good reading.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
DuffMan
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Member: Evan McGee
Location: Allston, MA
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 8 members
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