Loneliness in Liu Zhenyun’s Novel “One Sentence Is Worth Ten Thousand”

Abstract

The paper considers the subject of communication and loneliness raised in the novel “One Sentence Is Worth Ten Thousand” (2009) by Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun (b. 1958). In this novel, Liu Zhenyun describes in detail the feelings of common people who are in the endless search for emotional support. The text of the novel allows to determine the specific traits of Chinese loneliness related to cultural and ethno-psychological characteristics of the Chinese nation. We believe that the problem of loneliness has here received comprehensive coverage and is pivotal for the plot of the novel. The writer’s attention to this issue is not only due to his personal interest, but is also a development of the theme, which has been existing in Chinese literature since ancient times and has got a new sounding at the end of 20th and beginning of the 21st century.