{"product_id":"book-fvex","title":"Golden Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLike Gary Shteyngart or Michel Houellebecq, Wang Xiaobo is a Chinese literary icon whose satire forces us to reconsider the ironies of history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWang Er, a twenty-one-year-old ox herder, is shamed by the local authorities and forced to write a confession of his crimes, but he instead takes it upon himself to write a modernist literary tract. Later, as a lecturer at a chaotic, newly built university, Wang Er navigates the bureaucratic maze of 1980's China, boldly writing about the Cultural Revolution's impact on his life and those around him. Finally, alone and humbled, Wang Er must come to terms with the banality of his own existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut what makes this novel both hilarious and important is Xiaobo's use of the awkwardness of sex as a metaphor for all that occurred during the Cultural Revolution. This achievement was revolutionary in China and places \u003cem\u003eGolden Age\u003c\/em\u003e in the great pantheon of novels that argue against governmental control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA leading icon of his generation, Wang Xiaobo's cerebral and sarcastic narrative is a reflection on the failures of individuals and the enormous political, social, and personal changes in twentieth-century China.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blackstone Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49289612001584,"sku":"BDfvex","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49289612034352,"sku":"ZEfvex","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49289612067120,"sku":"ZMfvex","price":35.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/fvex-Square-cover.jpg?v=1782424164","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-fvex","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}