Have you read Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong?

 

 

Have you heard of the sensation this epic novel has sparked? Over millions and millions of copies sold worldwide this book offers a super unique story, full of meaning and power, and is absolutely well written. So, if you haven't read it yet, here's a brief introduction to why you should (no spoilers) ...

The Story

Wolf Totem follows Chen, a student from Beijing, to the vast grasslands on the Inner Mongolia steppes, where he joins herdsmen in their traditional life. He doesn't do so voluntarily. Chen has been exiled by the Mao government.

It is the start of a novel experience for the young man. He soon finds there is a tug of war between farmers and their "enemies", the wolves that occasionally attack their livestock. The herdsmen hunt the packs viciously in return. They also kill pubs they discover in a den. 

Yet, Chen saves one pub and lovingly raises it as his own wolf totem. It is not an easy task. The wolf, seemingly adapting to its new life at first, is not a dog. A struggle unfolds ...

What it's really about and why you should read it

The story has many layers, including political and economical. The historical background is that of China in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution.

For me, the most striking and compelling aspect of the book, however, is this dive into the beautiful landscape of the remote Mongolian steppe and of the encounter with nature. Also, the way of life of the nomads, their respect of nature, the fragile balance between man and wolves, the tug of war between the savage and the tamed, the harshness and struggle people , and the struggle between right and wrong.

The book is brilliantly written, the wilderness as well as the wolf packs and their lives are vividly and beautifully described — it was a page-turner through and through. I loved the story so much, I reread it a couple of years later.

About the Author

Jiang Rong was born in Beijing in 1946. In 1967, he joined the first wave of intellectuals who moved to the countryside as volunteers, living with nomadic communities on the Chinese border of Inner and Outer Mongolia for eleven years. Back in Beijing, Jiang embarked on postgraduate studies in economics and political science and assumed an academic position at the university. Wolf Totem is his first novel.