Biography of Wang Shuo

Born in Nanjing of East China's Jiangsu Province in 1958, Wang Shuo grew up in Beijing (in North China), during which time his parents were sent to the countryside as part of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), leaving him and his brother alone in the big city, resulting in a period of petty crime, fighting, and jail time. Later, his father made him join the navy where he served for four years. Afterwards, he did a number of odd jobs while beginning his writing career.

Wang has written over 20 novels and has also written scripts for various television series and movies. He has achieved an enormous cultural status in China and in the last few years has divided his time between Beijing and the United States' state of California, working on screenplays for American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's production company, and seeing the first two English translations of his work published.

The authorities have described Wang Shuo as a "spiritual pollutant." They accuse him of encouraging readers to indulge - like his characters - in drinking, gambling, swearing, and promiscuity, and even banned his collected works in China in 1996. Yet despite this, his works have made him a best-selling author in China, with over 20 novels and 10 million copies in print, appealing to people all across the spectrum, from the business community to factory workers, students, and the unemployed.

 Wang Shuo's Main Works:

The Sentimental Trilogy: The Flight Attendant (1984), Floating Above Sea (1985), Half is Flame, Half is Seawater (1986).

The Gangster Trilogy: Rubber Man (1986), Master of Game (1987), Playing for Thrills (1988).

 Playing for Thrills

Playing for Thrills follows the investigation of the mysterious murder of a possibly imaginary character that took place more than 10 years before. The chief suspect is the novel's narrator who may or may not have committed the crime - even he isn't sure.

As our charismatic antihero goes around Beijing drinking beer, having sex, and questioning a bunch of people who speak like characters in a gangster movie, he tries to find someone who can remind him which girl he was with and what he was doing at the time of the murder. Suddenly the narrative explodes and the reader is thrust into a countdown leading up to the crime itself. The result is a frightening, sometimes hilarious, always astonishing novel that is totally unlike anything ever published from China

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