My comment however remain quite severe. The summary 4th cover page given here is consistent with the content. Through three monologues interspersed with various testimonies, journal excerpts, reports, poems, Li Er ... likes to compare the narrative styles and versions of a story (which is only a pretext to of other?). He has fun but abuse the risk of becoming tiresome to the detriment of a main thread. The literary quality is undeniable, the relationship of historical fact is complex, but the truculence of the novels of Mo Yan is lacking. The literary quality is well served by translating Sylvie Gentil. It is a novel that I reread ... at a slower pace ... and taking notes. Recommended for savvy readers already accustomed to Chinese culture or the too capricious character of Mo Yan can annoy. The quality of contemporary Chinese novels translated in French are not so many: we can welcome the existence of it.