Snow in August: Play by Gao Xingjian

by Gao Xingjian, Gilbert C. F. Fong, Gilbert C.F. Fong

Overview

From Gao Xingjian, a winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature, comes a "major drama about life.

Snow in August blends Eastern and Western cultures. In form, there are elements of Shakespearean and Greek tragedy, but in spirit, it embodies a uniquely Eastern sensibility."—Gao Xingjian

Snow in August is based on the life of Huineng (AD 633-713), the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in Tang Dynasty China. Packed with the myriad sights and sounds of both the Eastern and Western theatrical traditions, the play exudes wonder and mysticism. The many koan cases and the story of Huineng's enlightenment afford the audience fascinating vignettes of Gao's vision of life and existence—an awareness of the Void and the need for a personal peace with oneself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789629960681
Publisher:	The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
Publication date:	12/03/2003
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gilbert C.F. Fong is a professor at the Department of Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the translator of The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian (The Chinese University Press, 1999), and also editor of Hong Kong Drama Review, Journal of Translation Studies and several books on Chinese and Hong Kong drama.

What People are Saying About This

Gilbert C. F. Fong

Snow in August comes close to being Gao Xingjian's ideal theatre.

Editorial Reviews

A welcome addition to the growing body of Gao's works available in English.

Asian Theatre Journal - Alexander Huang

Snow in August comes close to being Gao Xingjian's ideal theatre.

Gilbert C. F. Fong

My aim is to create a new and contemporary musical theatre based on the foundations of Eastern traditional drama, an omnipotent theatre of singing, movement, dialogue, and the martial arts.

Gao Xingjian

A welcome addition to the growing body of Gao's works available in English.

— Alexander Huang

Asian Theatre Journal