Perry Link Bücher

Late one night in December 2008, police arrived at the home of Liu Xiaobo--China's leading dissident, a key figure in the prodemocracy manifesto Charter 08--and took him away. When Liu won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize as a political prisoner, the award was bestowed on an empty chair. Inside China, the regime sought to erase every trace of his existence. Liu died of liver cancer in 2017 without ever having been allowed to return home. I Have No Enemies is the definitive biography of Liu Xiaobo, offering a meticulously researched account of the twists and turns of a remarkable life. Perry Link and Wu Dazhi explore Liu's upbringing, immersion in classical Chinese poetry and philosophy, bold challenges to literary conformity, and involvement in democratic movements. They trace the lifelong evolution of his thinking and chronicle his persecution, incarceration, and death. I Have No Enemies emphasizes Liu's principled commitment to dissent and the significance of the example he set in China and around the world. Liu was a far-sighted strategist whose credo was "changing a regime by changing a society." In Tiananmen Square, he showed others how to face down armed soldiers; in daily life, he looked for ways to build a more democratic culture. A powerful record of Liu's life and times, this book also tells the story of a generation of Chinese intellectuals who sought a better way forward.

Liu Xiaobo, geboren 1955, wuchs in Changchun in der Volksrepublik China auf. Die Zeit der Kulturrevolution verbrachte er in der Inneren Mongolei. Nach seinem Studium der Literatur wurde er 1988 von der Pädagogischen Universität Peking promoviert. Liu war unter anderem als Gastprofessor an den Universitäten Oslo und Columbia und an der University of Hawaii tätig. Liu beteiligte sich an den Studentenprotesten von 1989, die am 4. Juni 1989 blutig niedergeschlagen wurden. Es folgten mehrere Jahre im Gefängnis und in Umerziehungslagern. Seine Arbeiten konnte Liu nur im Ausland veröffentlichen. Seit 2003 war er Präsident des Unabhängigen Chinesischen PEN-Zentrums. Im Dezember 2008 wurde Liu Xiaobo wegen »Anstiftung zur Untergrabung der Staatsgewalt« verhaftet. Im Dezember 2009 verurteilte ihn die chinesische Justiz zu elf Jahren Haft. Im Dezember 2010 wurde Liu Xiaobo der Friedensnobelpreis verliehen. Kurz zuvor erhielt er den Hermann-Kesten-Preis des deutschen PEN-Zentrums. Im Juli 2017 erlag er inhaftiert seiner schweren Krebserkrankung.

Oh, China! is a textbook tailored for "advanced beginners" studying Mandarin Chinese—students who can speak and understand basic Mandarin but struggle with reading and writing at an intermediate level. Unlike typical first-year texts that focus on elementary vocabulary and conversation, this book emphasizes reading, writing, grammar, and achieving standard pronunciation. The lessons are designed to engage advanced beginners, covering themes relevant to young Chinese-Americans, the concept of "overseas Chinese" and their connections to China, and significant figures in modern Chinese history. Each lesson is presented in both traditional and simplified characters, and the first fifteen lessons also include hanyu pinyin. Accompanying materials feature vocabulary lists, grammar notes, usage exercises, and character stroke-order charts. The book opens with a comprehensive chapter on Mandarin pronunciation, complete with exercises, and concludes with a Chinese-to-English vocabulary index. Intended for one year of college-level study, it prepares students for third-year courses. This latest addition to Princeton University Press's series on Chinese language instruction addresses a critical need in Mandarin education. Audio and video resources are also available to enhance learning. For more information, contact the Chinese Linguistics Project at Princeton University.