Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Infobox Book
name = Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
title_orig = Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise
translator = Ina Rilke


image_caption = One version of the front cover of the novel
author = Dai Sijie
genre = Historical, Semi-autobiographical novel
publisher = Anchor Books
release_date = 2000
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
english_release_date = 2001
pages = 184 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-375-41309-X

"Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Dai Sijie, and published in 2000 in French and in English in 2001. Its original French title is "Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise".

Plot Summary

During the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1971 (see Down to the Countryside Movement), the sons of two allegedly reactionary doctors are sent to a remote village on the fictional mountain Phoenix of the Sky to be 're-educated' by hard work and peasant living. There, the two characters meet the local tailor's daughter (the Little Seamstress) and discover a collection of various translated Western novels hidden by another city boy sent to the country for re-education, Four-Eyes. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, they find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.

Characters

*Luo — Luo is the only character in the novel with a recognizable name. Luo is the son of a famous dentist who bragged of having worked on Chairman Mao's teeth, and is accused of being a reactionary for having committed the sin of suggesting that the Chairman was not perfect. Luo is audacious, a talented liar and storyteller. He doesn't evolve throughout the story like other characters do, but he seems to have only gained the knowledge of sexual relationship.

*The narrator — His name is Ma, but since it is only given in Chinese in the book, he is just known as "the narrator." The son of two doctors who have been labeled enemies of the people, the narrator mentions his name is written in Chinese characters that in English translate as "Horse Sword Bell." The narrator plays the violin, and is once referred to in the novel as "the fiddler." His character begins with very low confidence. However, as the novel progresses, the narrator's storytelling skills rival and then arguably surpass those of his friend Luo, through reading literature. He also becomes more audacious as he purposefully causes the headman of the village severe pain by pumping the machine that drills holes in teeth very slowly.

*The Little Seamstress — Daughter of a famous local tailor, the Little Seamstress is a rare beauty. By the end of Part 1, the Little Seamstress begins to have a sexual relationship with Luo. Though she has had no formal education, she was taught to read by her father. Amongst the ignorant peasants she has an air of sophistication, though Luo comments early in the novel that she is "not civilized, at least not enough for me!" However, Luo is only stereotyping her. As the novel progresses, the Little Seamstress learns about the outside world by reading the foreign books with the help of Luo.

*The Headman — The headman is the leader of the village the narrator and Luo are sent to for re-education. He has a very arrogant personality. One day, he even blackmailed Luo to fix his teeth in return for not sending the narrator to jail.

*Four-eyes — He is the son of a writer and poetess, however doesn't seem to have inherited his parents' ability of writing. Four-eyes must wear thick glasses to compensate for his nearsightedness (hence his nickname). He possesses a treasure trove of forbidden "reactionary" Western novels which the Narrator and Luo covet and eventually steal. He is referred to as a character who is used to humiliation. He is the kind person who is dependent on people such as his mother. He also doesn't seem to know how to fit in.

*The Miller — He is a filthy old man who lives alone and is a repository of local "folk" songs. The Miller narrates one part of the novel and provides songs to the boys, who then relate them to Four-eyes. He is one of the characters who chooses not to get involved with the revolutionary.

*The Tailor — He is the father of the Little Seamstress. He is richer than all the peasants, and nearly treated as royalty. At one point in the story, the narrator recalls a Western story to him while he spends the night with the narrator and Luo. Through this experience, he gains a slight air of sophistication, and the story begins to influence the clothes that he makes.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

* A film based on his novel was released in 2002, directed by Dai himself.
*Sites related to Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
**http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/balzac_and_the_seamstress1.asp
**http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/china/daisijie.htm#summaries