Eunuch by Kristina Carlson
Wang Wei has always chosen his words carefully. His unobtrusive presence has seen him through the reign of five emperors, but now, as his own time is running out, he immerses himself in an unbridled account of a life confined at court. From the early separation from his parents, sisters, and brother - who did not survive the operation into a eunuch - to the power struggles he has witnessed and endured, Wang Wei examines human relationships with precision and a catching sense of wonder. While rumours are weapons, it is love and its various forms of expression that most fascinate Wang Wei. Reaching into a secret and secluded world, Carlson's vivid prose is as delicate as it is enigmatic. A meditation on power and exclusion, love and loneliness, gender and identity, ageing and transformation, Eunuch is a compact masterpiece.
In this work, Carlson explores loneliness, humanity, and the individual’s relationship with societyIts setting in a distant place and time creates a sense of defamiliarisation yet emphasises the timelessness of the ageing eunuch’s thoughts. Carlson’s clear, precise language is lyrical, often aphoristic, and the verbal snapshots are like Chinese poems or wood carvings; – Nordic Council Literature Prize Jury; Eunuch recognises the fragility of the happiness of emperors, idle officials, philosophers, and the rich who care only about their riches. Colourful and corporeal, Eunuch is a continuation of Carlson’s deep interest in science and culture – and the way in which an outsider and ageing figure regards the society he both is and isn't part of; – Kiiltomato
Kristina Carlson (b. 1949) is a Finnish writer. Her work has won the Finlandia Prize in 1999, the State Prize in Literature, the 'Tack foer boken' medal, and the English translation of DARWIN'S GARDENER was longlisted for the DUBLIN literary Award. Most recently, Eunuch was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781915267122 |
| ISBN 10 | 1915267129 |
| Title | Eunuch |
| Author | Kristina Carlson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Lolli Editions |
| Year published | 2023-06-29 |
| Number of pages | 98 |
| Prizes | Runner-up for Nordic Council Literature Prize 2022 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |