Title: The Place of the Skull

Author: Chinghiz Aitmatov (Kyrgyzstani)

Translator: Feng Jia

Publisher: Sino-Culture Press

Edition: 1st Edition, November 2018

Format: 16 - mo, Hardcover

Printed Sheets: 22.25

Word Count: 246,000 words

ISBN: 9787507550054

Price: 58.00 CNY

The Place of the Skull is an admonitory work that exposes social evils. It breaks through the limitations of time and space, integrating various plot lines into one, presenting a "strange" and "hard - to - understand - at - first - try" special form of artistic bouquet. The female wolf Akbara gave birth to several litters of wolf cubs, yet none of them could escape the catastrophe brought by humans. She could only cry out her misfortunes to the moon, and in the end, humans were brutally retaliated against by this female wolf. Avdy, a new religious adherent, infiltrated a criminal organization to fight against drug - trafficking and drug - abuse, but was eventually crucified like Jesus... The author reveals the disasters that the destruction of the contemporary social humanistic and natural ecology brings to humanity, raising a series of thought - provoking questions. The novel touches on the "sore spots" of contemporary society, and in this regard, the author is fearless. The novel is impressively conceived with profound implications, and the work has a "very strong impact on the reader's soul."

"The passing of Aitmatov is a huge and helpless loss for all of us. We will remember this great writer, thinker, and humanist." - Vladimir Putin

"I particularly like Aitmatov's The White Steamboat. Through the tragic story of a seven - year - old child, it closely weaves the allegorical myth, the child's fantasy, and the harsh reality together." - Cao Wenxuan, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award

"In the eyes of people around the world, he was already a Nobel laureate long ago. The death of Aitmatov may mean the departure of the last literary priest from that land." - Chi Zijian

"Aitmatov mainly relies on true lyric art. Those long descriptions, full of depictions, songs, and associations related to horse lore and grass lore, are really beautiful. The enjoyment is unforgettable, and reading it carefully once is like a bath in beauty." - Zhang Chengzhi

"Aitmatov's works are very easy to read. Each of his works is like honey and wine, so sweet and fragrant that you get intoxicated. When reading his works, you can even smell the scent of ripe crops and haystacks." - Feng Deying

Chinghiz Aitmatov (1928 - 2008) was a famous Kyrgyzstani writer. He served as the secretary of the Soviet Writers' Union, an academician of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, and an ambassador. He won the Soviet State Literature Award and the Lenin Award several times and had a profound impact on contemporary Chinese writers. His main works include novellas such as Jamilia, Farewell, Gulsary!, The White Ship, Cranes Fly Early, Spotted Dog Running Along the Seashore, etc., and novels such as The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years, The Place of the Skull, The White Clouds of Genghis Khan, Cassandra's Brand, When The Mountains Fall, etc. His creations are rich in Kyrgyz national characteristics, with profound and rich content and beautiful writing. They have been translated into more than 150 languages and published, and have been adapted into movies, TV dramas, operas, and ballets many times.

Feng Jia, whose real name is Feng Jiazhen, was born in Yixing, Jiangsu in 1932. He studied at Heqiao Primary School, Suzhou Middle School, and the Russian Language and Literature Department of Peking University. After graduating from university, he stayed in the department and worked until retirement. He has a special preference for literary translation. His main translated works include The Insulted and the Injured, The Chameleon, Krylov's Fables, Farewell, Gulsary!, The Place of the Skull, Mumu, The Fate of a Man, etc.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Post - translation Note