New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (2005) dj. Hardcover first edition - "A satirical and powerfully written novel about the absurdities and cruelties of life in post-Tianamen China. Two men, a writer of political propaganda and a professional blood donor, meet for dinner every week. During the course of one drunken evening, the writer recounts the stories he would write, had he the courage . . . a humorous yet profound glimpse of those struggling to survive under a system that dictates their every move." Ma Jian is now living in exile in England. In 1987 all of his books were banned in China. Translated from the Chinese by Flora Drew. 181 pp. ISBN: 0-374223076.