Snow in August.

XINGJIAN, Gao.

$350.00

Item Number: 1234

Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2003.

First edition in English of the Nobel Laureate’s play that is based on the legendary Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Zen Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty. Octavo, original cloth. Inscribed and dated by Gao Xingjian on the title page. Review copy, with slip laid in, fine in a fine dust jacket. Translated by Gilbert C.F. Fong.

Snow in August is based on the life of Huineng (AD 633-713), the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in Tang Dynasty China. Packed with the myriad sights and sounds of both the Eastern and Western theatrical traditions, the play exudes wonder and mysticism. The many koan cases and the story of Huineng's enlightenment afford the audience fascinating vignettes of Gao's vision of life and existence ¢w an awareness of the Void and the need for a personal peace with oneself.