A Dictionary of Maqiao
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A Dictionary of Maqiao (Template:Zh) is a novel written by Chinese writer Han Shaogong.[1] It was first published in 1996 and was translated into English by Julia Lovell in 2003.[1] Yazhou Zhoukan selected it as one of the top 100 greatest Chinese novels in the 20th century.[2]
The novel is set in Maqiao, a village in Hunan province, China. It is written in the form of a dictionary, or more accurately, encyclopedia. It collects 115 ‘articles’ on Maqiao village life from the perspective of a young student sent there by the Down to the Countryside Movement. These ‘articles’ cohere into a story.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
After the book was published, some critics claimed that was an imitation of Milorad Pavić's novel, Dictionary of the Khazars.[3] The author, Han Shaogong, claimed never to have read Pavić's work.[3] He brought a defamation case against the critics and won this case in 1999 at Haikou.[3]