Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Advanced
Title details for Ocean of Words by Ha Jin - Available

Ocean of Words

by Ha Jin
ebook
Read a sample Read a sample
Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award
The place is the chilly border between Russia and China. The time is the early 1970s when the two giants were poised on the brink of war. And the characters in this thrilling collection of stories are Chinese soldiers who must constantly scrutinize the enemy even as they themselves are watched for signs of the fatal disease of bourgeois liberalism.
In Ocean of Words, the Chinese writer Ha Jin explores the predicament of these simple, barely literate men with breathtaking concision and humanity. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable Russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, Ha Jin's characters possess a depth and liveliness that suggest Isaac Babel's Cossacks and Tim O'Brien's GIs. Ocean of Words is a triumphant volume, poignant, hilarious, and harrowing.
“A compelling collection of stories, powerful in their unity of theme and rich in their diversity of styles.” —New York Times Book Review
“Extraordinary. . . . [These stories are shot through with wit and offer glimpses of human motivation that defy retelling. . . . Read them all.” —Boston Globe
“An exceptional new talent, capable of wringing rich surprises out of austere materials.” —Portland Oregonian
Expand title description text
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Kindle Book

  • Release date: October 29, 2014

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780804153522
  • Release date: October 29, 2014

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780804153522
  • File size: 1864 KB
  • Release date: October 29, 2014
Loading
Loading

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

Fiction Literature Short Stories

Languages

English

Levels

Lexile® Measure:790
Text Difficulty:3-4

Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award
The place is the chilly border between Russia and China. The time is the early 1970s when the two giants were poised on the brink of war. And the characters in this thrilling collection of stories are Chinese soldiers who must constantly scrutinize the enemy even as they themselves are watched for signs of the fatal disease of bourgeois liberalism.
In Ocean of Words, the Chinese writer Ha Jin explores the predicament of these simple, barely literate men with breathtaking concision and humanity. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable Russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, Ha Jin's characters possess a depth and liveliness that suggest Isaac Babel's Cossacks and Tim O'Brien's GIs. Ocean of Words is a triumphant volume, poignant, hilarious, and harrowing.
“A compelling collection of stories, powerful in their unity of theme and rich in their diversity of styles.” —New York Times Book Review
“Extraordinary. . . . [These stories are shot through with wit and offer glimpses of human motivation that defy retelling. . . . Read them all.” —Boston Globe
“An exceptional new talent, capable of wringing rich surprises out of austere materials.” —Portland Oregonian
Expand title description text
Fiction Literature Short Stories