Drum Singers

14 hrs. 52 min.

Classics

Language Russian

Author Lao She

Narrator Yana Medvedeva

Description

“Storytellers” is a novel by the classic of Chinese literature Lao She. The plot centers on the fate of the folk storyteller Fan Baoqin and his adopted daughter Xuylian, whose lives are filled with dramatic events. Xuylian is kind, gifted, and perceptive enough to understand the hopelessness of the lot assigned to her at the very bottom of society. She is only a daughter sold out of dire need by poor parents, and although Fan Baoqin loves her with all his heart, the limit of his care is to arrange the talented girl advantageously with a wealthy man as a concubine. Otherwise, all that remains for her is the street and selling herself. Such are the cruel rules of the world of itinerant performers. That is why Xuylian’s attempts to break out of this vicious circle seem to Fan Baoqin like a foolish whim.

This novel occupies a special place in Lao She’s body of work. Many of the characters, including Fan Baoqin and Xuylian, had real-life prototypes, and in the figure of the writer Meng Liang—an old family friend of Fan—one can easily detect traits of the author himself. In addition to the titular novel, the edition includes the novella “My Life” and selected stories by Lao She.

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