Novel
The Butcher's Wife
殺夫
Li Ang · 1983
Synopsis
In the market town of Lucheng, the literary name of Lukang, Lin Shi, an orphan brought up by her uncle, is married off by him to Chen Jiangshui, a pig butcher much older than she. The husband treats her as a possession and brutalises her; the neighbour women mock her and spread gossip about her that isolates her and closes off every recourse. Inspired by a news item from Shanghai, the narrative shows how custom and the neighbourhood's gaze imprison a defenceless woman.
Context
The text won in 1983 the first prize for the novella of the daily United Daily News, then appeared in volume form with other stories set in Lucheng. Published under martial law, it caused a scandal and established the author's reputation; the Japanese writer Kenzaburō Ōe took an interest in it. Tseng Chuang-hsiang adapted it for the cinema as early as 1984. Translated into more than ten languages, it appeared in French in 1992, from Flammarion, then under the title Tuer son mari in 2004.
Who it is for
For reading a major narrative of Taiwanese letters, available in French, including in paperback.
Prizes and reception
Kirkus Reviews hailed its English translation, and the narrative is regarded as emblematic of women's literature in Taiwan.
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