Magic Bucket

"1984" Translator Joseph S. M. Lau's Lifelong Literary Passion

Rebirth requires a cognitive shock

We all grew up this way

Ten short stories encompass various facets of human nature: sacrifice, regret, introspection, empathy, conviction, persistence, and folly. However, the characters in the book all share one major characteristic: the pursuit of "self-redemption." More or less, they all experience a "cognitive shock" and are then reborn. They progress through introspection, and the path they choose afterwards is the path of self-redemption.

Professor Joseph S. M. Lau, the translator, remarked on the typical characters in the novels of American Jewish writer Bernard Malamud, saying that while they are Jewish in terms of race, religion, and culture, their experiences, especially their suffering, are "a common experience for modern people."