Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City
Dung Kai-cheung
Set in the long-lost City of Victoria (a fictional world similar to Hong Kong), "Atlas" is written from the unified perspective of future archaeologists struggling to rebuild a thrilling metropolis. Divided into four sections--"Theory," "The City," "Streets," & "Signs"--the novel reimagines Victoria through maps & other historical documents & artifacts, mixing real-world scenarios with purely imaginary people & events while incorporating anecdotes & actual & fictional social commentary & critique.
Much like the quasi-fictional adventures in map-reading & remapping explored by Paul Auster, Jorge Luis Borges, & Italo Calvino, Dung Kai-cheung's novel challenges the representation of place & history & the limits of technical & scientific media in reconstructing a history. It best exemplifies the author's versatility & experimentation, along with China's rapidly evolving literary culture, by blending fiction, nonfiction, & poetry in a story about succeeding & failing to recapture the things we lose. Playing with a variety of styles & subjects, Dung Kai-cheung inventively engages with the fate of Hong Kong since its British "handover" in 1997, which officially marked the end of colonial rule and the beginning of an uncharted future.
Much like the quasi-fictional adventures in map-reading & remapping explored by Paul Auster, Jorge Luis Borges, & Italo Calvino, Dung Kai-cheung's novel challenges the representation of place & history & the limits of technical & scientific media in reconstructing a history. It best exemplifies the author's versatility & experimentation, along with China's rapidly evolving literary culture, by blending fiction, nonfiction, & poetry in a story about succeeding & failing to recapture the things we lose. Playing with a variety of styles & subjects, Dung Kai-cheung inventively engages with the fate of Hong Kong since its British "handover" in 1997, which officially marked the end of colonial rule and the beginning of an uncharted future.
Catégories:
Année:
2012
Editeur::
Columbia University Press
Langue:
english
Pages:
192
ISBN 10:
0231504225
ISBN 13:
9780231504225
Fichier:
EPUB, 19.12 MB
IPFS:
,
english, 2012