Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics)

Irrefutable indicator of what I think of Taiwanese Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile: I just bought her subsequent book, Last Words from Montmartre, that she finished just before committing suicide at 26-years-old. Qiu’s Crocodile is a unique read, written by a perceptive young woman who was frank about her preferring women for intimate love, no news there, but she was setting that forth before it was okay. She was the first. Qui has a consummately brilliant mind. Her anguish comes through to where you can see that a suicide is upcoming. She will generate a few laughs and you will also learn from her. She’s earned high respect in Taiwan. I’ve discovered that books by Asian and Asian-American women – well, always outstanding reads; I’m almost overwhelmed by too many unread books, but I just ordered another of that genre, one by Cora Zeng.(Bat Eater).

Those who follow my reviews know that translated fiction is one of my obsessions, so I was delighted to discover NYRB's reissue of the Taiwanese cult classic of queer literature, Notes of a Crocodile. Described by its translator Bonnie Huie as a "survival manual for teenagers, for a certain age when reading the right book can save your life," Notes of a Crocodile nevertheless has much to offer adults, particularly those who are cisgendered. I must confess to being confused by the book's structure for a large chunk of its relatively modest length. Qiu Miaojin moves back and forth between two narratives, with their only connection being thematic. The first story is the one I was expecting from the publisher's description: that of "the coming-of-age of a group of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan's most prestigious university." The second story provides the novel's title: a crocodile wearing a human suit, à la the dinosaurs in Eric Garcia's Anonymous Rex series, muses on how people vehemently advocate both for and against crocodiles, despite knowing nothing about them and not even realizing that at least one crocodile lives and works among them. At the risk of stating the obvious, the common theme is separation, isolation, and the tendency of some people to make authoritative statements about a group whose experiences they do not share: "In the final analysis, our knowledge and understanding of crocodiles is but a microorganism on a fingernail. But in the customary practice of advanced nations, we will safeguard information within the grip of our metal jaws, holding on as if our lives depended on it." Sound familiar? Notes of a Crocodile concludes with a message which should be emblazoned on the blackboard in every classroom in the world, from preschool to university: "The deeper you love, the deeper your compassion grows and the more you realize that the other suffers just as you do. When all is said and done, human civilization is ugly and cruel, and the only thing to do is to raze it to the ground so it becomes visible that kindredness is the one true constant in relationships." Just imagine the world that might result. This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.

Wonderful book, helped me think through some things.....

The book arrived in perfect condition and very timely. As for a book review , this is been on my list for quite some time so I had high expectations. The authors writing style is very eloquent and her charm seeps through the chapters in witty ways. As to not spoil the book, I will just say that the development of her character in understanding herself progresses but as a reader I was left a little unsatisfied with the depth reached. Whether this was an intentional choice of the author is up to perspective!

The narrator's obsession with her on again, off again girlfriend is something anyone who was young and in love and without prior experiences or financial resources and stuck in a provincial place can relate to this story. The "I don't need you, though I will die without you" - it's done in an existentialist, modernist way. On every page, there are hints of what a special soul the author was - what her influences were - Nietzsche, etc., and how alone and stuck she must have felt, growing up in Taiwan under quasi-martial law. How she must have soaked up Western and Japanese literature as a way out, as a way of imagining an alternate life. The crocodile metaphor is cute, ironic, philosophical, and deeply cutting satire, all at once. I laughed so hard every time the crocodile character interjected herself into the story. Great translation - so good you completely forget how different Chinese is from English. I had feared some parts are just untranslatable but this translator has an excellent knowledge of both modern Chinese and American and European cultures, and does a perfect job conveying the narrator / author's knowledgeability about the greater world, at the same time giving an idea of Taiwan as a claustrophobic, backwards, depressing, and stifling environment for a young female intellectual who happens to be gay and is not from a rich family.

Book as described; prompt shipment; thanks!

Probably in an ideal situation, this book will be read concurrently with "Last Words from Montmartre." At its best that book is a love letter to Paris of the early 90s--everyone was going to see films by Kusturica, Tarkovsky and Qiu's "personal god" Angelopoulos --and this one makes you want to take Bus 74 in Taipei. This book is the basis of the Wong Kar-wai lesbian film he never made--but maybe he will! Please Mr. Wong! Think of how wonderful it would be with a Shigeru Umebayashi soundtrack. (Speaking of soundtracks, I can't imagine enjoying "The Suspended Step of the Stork"--Qiu's favorite Angelopoulos film-- without the soundtrack by Eleni Karaindrou.) Yes, this is what love feels like when one is young, upper-middle class with a good income that is not the result of manual labor, reasonably hot, fairly well-read and has a brain chemistry pushing one towards depression, self-loathing.

Complessità dei personaggi

Great quality hardcopy

I had heard great things about this novel, so perhaps I came to it with expectations that were too high. I certainly enjoyed it, but was not wowed by it. It's geared towards young adults in terms of tone and themes, and I suspect that had I been a few decades younger when read it I would have got a lot more out of it.

I loved this book, well written. Takes you on a journey of love.

Hat alles gut gehalten, sah ganz festlich aus.