Wolf Totem

A Novel

By: Jiang Rong, Howard Goldblatt - translator

Narrated by: Jason Culp

China's runaway bestseller and winner of the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize

Published in China in 2004, Wolf Totem has broken all sales records, selling millions of copies (along with millions more on the black market).. Part period epic, part fable for modern days, Wolf Totem depicts the dying culture of the Mongols-the ancestors of the Mongol hordes who at one time terrorized the world-and the parallel extinction of the animal they believe to be sacred: the fierce and otherworldly Mongolian wolf. Beautifully translated by Howard Goldblatt, the foremost translator of Chinese fiction, this extraordinary novel is finally available in English.

Critic reviews

"An intellectual adventure story. . . . Five hundred bloody and instructive pages later, you just want to stand up and howl."
-Alan Cheuse, San Francisco Chronicle

"[Jiang Rong] is on the way to becoming one of the most celebrated and controversial Chinese novelists in the world."
-The Guardian (London)

"Electrifying. . . . The power of Jiang's prose (and of Howard Goldblatt's excellent translation) is evident. . . . This semi-autographical novel is a literary triumph."
-National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)

The story is a love song to the steppe

The story left me weeping at the end. I particularly loved the detailed descriptions of the food they ate and how interconnected the herders are with their environment.

Wolf as friend

What did you love best about Wolf Totem?

Every time I hear people complain about wolf restoration, I wish they would read this book. The wolf plays a symbiotic role in environmental preservation. Have we learned anything from the desertification of precious grasslands since our dustbowl experience?--the Chinese did the same thing in the name of agriculture. Do we have to destroy our environment just to provide incomes for a few? What about future generations? How will they survive after we desertify the planet in the name of progress--The Great Leap Forward and similar policies by other nations are blind to the long term effects of agricultural policy.

What did you like best about this story?

Learning more about the Mongols.

Which scene was your favorite?

The troubling scene when the boy realizes that his vision for the wolf pup destroyed its chance for survival--it is indelibly etched into my memory.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Is "progress" necessary?

Any additional comments?

Every policy discussion needs to include consideration of the long term effects. Minority voices for environmental preservation and restoration may reduce the impact of global warming. This minority has been silenced by the noisy influence of monied corporations and agribusiness. They have, in effect, disenfranchised us all.

Truly Remarkable!

If you read or listen to this book, prepare to be transformed in your heart and soul. This story is detailed and every word has meaning, so be prepared to listen closely to them. I can easily promise that once you have finished this book, which is a true story by the way, you will never look at our wildlife or land in the same way again. Easily worth the time to hear and understand this novel!

Eric Becker

Heart-Breaking

Simply an unbearable story for lovers of the natural world. A difficult book, worth the effort, to be read only once. Not for the weak hearted.

Incredibly moving tale vividly told

How did Inner Mongolia turn from a lush grassland full of wildlife to the desolate desert that blows huge sand storms to Beijing every spring? How did the ancient traditions enable herdsmen maintain the delicate balance between man and nature for thousands of years? How much do you really know about wolves? These are the things I didn't care nor wanted to learn but now deeply love. Read the book.