A Collection of Stories Pay Homage to the City of Shanghai

A Collection of Stories Pay Homage to the City of Shanghai
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The Book of Shanghai: A City in Short Fiction gathers ten of the most interesting and brilliant voices of the Chinese literary world based out of Shanghai, paying homage to the giant city, not a mere background but often the star of the stories. The futuristic novella, written, in part, with the aid of artificial intelligence and which speaks of a dystopic reality, State of Trance by Chen Qiufan - science fiction writer born in 1981 - is marked by a style with its root in reality, with realistic descriptions of the daily life of those who live on the lilong - the traditional lateral streets of the city - and there’s also Ah Fang’s Lamp by Wang Anyi, affirmed writer and author of a classic like The Song of Eternal Regret. The stories contribute to creating a conceptual and topographical map of the city, not only featuring the better-known sites of the city, but also hidden corners to be discovered and experienced, allowing yourself to be transported in a dimension of constant flux between the past, present and future, distinguishing Shanghai from every other Chinese city. To be read while awaiting to return for a stroll down the lilong or a gaze up at the skyscrapers - places which, while differing greatly, are equally charged with humanity and the contradictions that typify this city which still has so many stories to tell.

Manuela Lietti - © 2022 ARTE.it for Bulgari Hotel Shanghai