Born in 1955 to a peasant family in shandong province, he is the author of ten novels including red sorghum, which was made into a feature film, dozens of novellas, and hundreds of short stories. Red sorghum red sorghum is a novel that is set in mo yans shandong hometown of northeast gaomi township. Mo yans novel is so beautifully written and so compelling, that it is a pity it is represented by such a film. I didnt realize until id grown up that northeast gaomi township. Sweet sorghum is grown for syrup or forage, whereas some other sorghums, such as kafirs and milos, are grown for grain. The sorghum is a symbol of fortitude, and a continuation of life. Sorghum, like many grains, has a diversity of uses, including human consumption and animal feed. Beanb adepartment of food science, university of pretoria, pretoria 0002, south africa. The mentioned counties are also the largest producing ones, with phillips ranking. Moench is a crop indigenous to africa, where it appears to have been domesticated in ethiopia about 5 000 years ago. One of the most common bacterial diseases of sorghum is bacterial leaf stripe kucharek. Globally, over half of all sorghum is used for human consumption. Most viral diseases of sorghum are mosaics with the most important being maize dwarf mosaic toler, 1985.
Sorghum grain is a small, hard caryopsis covered by glumes. Importance of sorghum in africa j r n taylor department of food science, university of pretoria, pretoria 0002, south africa, email. With peng chi, tina collins, tongsheng han, xuan huang. Mo yans debut novel and first us publication was the basis of a 1988 oscarnominated film. It is a major crop for many poor farmers, especially in africa, central america, and south asia. There is a strength in the simplicity of this story, in the almost fairytale quality of its images and the shocking suddenness of its. The setting for the novel is the authors native village of northeast gaomi township in the province of shandong near the tip of the chinese peninsula that points toward korea. Most of the events in the novel take place between 1923 and 1941. The acclaimed novel of love and resistance during late 1930s china by mo yan, winner of the 2012 nobel prize in literature spanning three generations, this novel of family and myth is told through a series of flashbacks that depict events of staggering horror set against a landscape of gemlike beauty, as the chinese battle both japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent. Thus the narrator of mo yans novel states the theme of red sorghum. Inspired by mos 1997 novel red sorghum, which zhang yimou adapted into an awardwinning film, the government also plans to create a red sorghum culture and experience zone in pingan. The fact that it was made in 1988, and shot in china in cinemascope and color, doesnt make it a modern film, but that is quite all right. It is based on the novel red sorghum clan by nobel laureate mo yan. Red sorghum clan red sorghum red sorghum is the title appearing on the front and back covers of this book and on pages 1 and 2 in its official english translation.
In the novel the narrator speaks in first person, while telling everything about love and war, with a focus on the various people of his extended family. Francis counties saw their grain sorghum acreage increase between 72 and 177 percent as compared to the 2001 season. A novel energy crop currently, molecular breeding is regarded as an important tool for the improvement of many crop species. Grain yield response and stability indices in sorghum. Pdf nutritional and rheological properties of sorghum. Only four other foods rice, wheat, maize, and potatoes are consumed in greater amounts. Jan 06, 20 red sorghum by mo yan when i read that mo yan was awarded the nobel prize for literature, i figured i should read one of his books. Grain sorghum acreage expanded in most of the traditional grain sorghum producing counties in 2002. The term sorghum molasses is a colloquial expression incorrectly applied to sorghum syrup. A tale of china is the title appearing on page 3 and on amazon. Lyrical, colorful, and disturbing, red sorghum is a powerful novel that takes place during one of the darkest periods of chinese history, which is the japanese invasion of the 1930s. Written in 1987, red sorghum received critical acclaim in china and was made into a movie in 1988.
Mo yans red sorghum village home may never be the same. Red sorghum is a novel of family, myth, and memory, set during the fratricidal barbarity of the 1930s, when the chinese battled both japanese invaders and each other. As your unfilial son, i am prepared to carve out my heart, marinate it in soy sauce, have it minced and placed in three bowls, and lay it out as an offering in a field of sorghum. I had never heard of him before he won the award, but hearing that his style of writing was dubbed hallucinogenic realism, it sounded right up. Sorghum is used for human nutrition all over the world 2, 6, 7, 10. I sure am glad it was because it is an incredibly powerful book that presents a genuine chinese viewpoint. Red sorghum, is a novel that was published in 1986 written by mo yan. Buck novel, this inspiring drama follows the many ups and downs in the lives of chinese farmers wang lung paul muni and olan luise rainer.
The read in pdf php acclaimed novel of love and resistance. Mo yan is the winner of the 2012 nobel prize in literature and the. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of red sorghum by mo yan. I sure am glad it was because it is an incredibly powerful book that presents a. Moench francis abayomi showemimo department of plant science, institute for agricultural research ahmadu bello university, p. Moench grain is the fifth major staple cereal after wheat, rice, maize and barley. Red sorghum novel essay imagery and diction in red sorghum.
It is now widely cultivated in dry areas of africa, asia, the americas, europe and australia between latitudes of. Red sorghum is a 1987 chinese film about a young womans life working on a distillery for sorghum liquor. Sorghum is the dietary staple of more than 500 million people in more than 30. In 2009, 82% of harvested area of sorghum was within africa and asia fao, 2011. I had never heard of him before he won the award, but hearing that his style of writing was dubbed hallucinogenic realism, it sounded right up my alley. Red sorghum by mo yan when i read that mo yan was awarded the nobel prize for literature, i figured i should read one of his books. It was not until 1993, however, that this novel was translated into english. Imagery and diction in red sorghum anonymous 12th grade through war torn villages and billowing sorghum fields, author mo yan depicts the subtle joys and harsh realities of the life of a chinese family during the second sinojapanese war in his novel, red sorghum. Mo yan literally dont speak is the pen name of guan moye. Sorghum usually grows poorly on sandy soils, except where a heavy textured subsoil is present. The continent produces about 20 million tonnes of sorghum per annum, about onethird of the world crop. Published in 1986, it was mos first novel and remains one of his bestknown works. The name sweet sorghum is used to identify varieties of sorghum, sorghum bicolor l.
Yu sends his 14yearold son back home to get food for his men. The sorghum story sorghum is africas contribution to the small number of elite grains that supply about 85 percent of the worlds food energy. Sorghum plant is a potentially attractive raw material for food, feed, fuel and industry hallgren et al. Grain sorghum, mabele, amazimba, amabele origin and distribution sorghum is the 5th most important grain crop after wheat, maize, rice and barley. Red sorghum novel essays are academic essays for citation.
The acclaimed novel of love and resistance during late 1930s china by mo yan, winner of the 2012 nobel prize in literature spanning three generations, this novel of family and myth is told through a series of flashbacks that depict events of staggering horror set against a landscape of gemlike beauty, as the chinese battle both japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent 1930s. Sorghum juicederived ethanol is cheaper to produce than corn ethanol because it doesnt require the cooking and enzymes that corn requires for conversion of starch to sugar to fuel grade alcohol. This novel began as a short story published in 1986, so well received that it later was expanded into five chapters and published as a family saga in 1987, by the peoples liberation army publishing house, beijing. Red sorghum, however, defies this tradition and is set in the rough northeast gaomi township, where mo yan, the author of the novel red sorghum, comes from. Sorghum is more tolerant of alkaline salts than other grain crops and can therefore be successfully cultivated on soils with a ph kcl between 5. Oct 23, 2012 inspired by mos 1997 novel red sorghum, which zhang yimou adapted into an awardwinning film, the government also plans to create a red sorghum culture and experience zone in pingan. Red sorghum is told in a series of flashbacks and follows the lives of several main characters in a small chinese village.
To include sorghum in a book on lost crops, on the face of it, seems like a gross mistake. Red sorghum clan appears to be gothicartechs translation. Sorghum is a glutenfree cereal and forms the staple diet of a majority of the populations living in the semiarid tropics. If you didnt read the novel by mo yan, who would not be able to follow the film version. Contrastingly different from the south, mo yan describes the northeast as the most beautiful and repulsive, most unusual and most common, most sacred and most corrupt, most heroic and. Review novel food and nonfood uses for sorghum and millets. It is cultivated worldwide in warmer climates and is an important food crop in semiarid tropical areas of africa, asia and central america. A novel of china or red sorghum clan simplified chinese. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of red sorghum novel by mo yan. Globally, it produces approximately 70 million tons of grain from about 50 million ha o f land.
Relating the story of a peasant family, the novel is about the hardships, love, hatred, and adventures of the peasants of shandong. Published in 1986, red sorghum is a magical realism novel written by. Sorghum contains various phenolic and antioxidant compounds that could. Mo yans red sorghum village home may never be the same again. As the novel opens, a group of villagers, led by commander yu, the narrators grandfather, prepare to attack the advancing japanese. A powerful new voice on the brutal unrest of rural china in the late 20s and 30s. Sorghum can better tolerate short periods of water logging compared with maize. There is a strength in the simplicity of this story, in the almost fairytale quality of its images and the shocking. Filming it in red is okafter all, the novel is about red sorghum. Red sorghum is the sort of scenic, romantic, violent, symbolic melodrama that flowered in the early years of the cinema. Current estimates suggest that intensive plant breeding and cultivation research could, over time, increase the sugar content of sorghum juice to a. Red sorghum penguin books, 1994 by mo yan is a historical novel that takes place in 192324 and the late thirties, during the war against japan. Grain yield response and stability indices in sorghum sorghum bicolor l. Made into a very successful film by jiang yimou, red sorghum is packed with action, killings, guns, policemen, backstabbing, survival after neardeath experiences, deeds of heroism and betrayal, and.
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