Plantain Valley

Plantain Valley is a collection of short stories by the master storyteller Ai Wu. Mrs. Jiang in "Plantain Valley," Mrs. Zhou in "A Woman's Tragedy," and Mrs. Shiqing in "Mrs. Shiqing," are all workwomen of the underclass in the border area. They live in endurance and diligence, with the mere hope of rudimentary living and that their family members will remain safe. However, in the "Ghostlike World" of the old days, the ubiquitous darkness suffocates them so they cannot escape from all this, even though they bear a "strong desire for living" and show "obscure actions of resistance." Readers see a series of tragedies and suffering in that society, and no matter if alive or dead, people are better dead than alive due to these tragedies. About the Author Ai Wu was born Tang Daogeng in 1904 in Xinfan, Sichuan Province. His first short story "The First Lesson of the Philosophy of Life" appeared in the first volume of Literature Monthly, published in 1932. His more famous works include The Wilderness and A Women's Tragedy. He died at age 88 in 1992. Publisher's website: http://sbprabooks.com/AiWu

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