--- product_id: 51631499 title: "Soul Mountain" price: "NZ$44" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/51631499-soul-mountain store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # Soul Mountain **Price:** NZ$44 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Soul Mountain - **How much does it cost?** NZ$44 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/51631499-soul-mountain) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “If a successful novelist is one who tells us something new about the human spirit and a successful novel transports us to another world, then Gao and Soul Mountain have succeeded spectacularly.” — Washington Post Book World An extraordinary work of immense wisdom and profound beauty by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature In 1983 Chinese playwright, critic, fiction writer, and painter Gao Xingjian was diagnosed with lung cancer and faced imminent death. But six weeks later, a second examination revealed the cancer was gone, and he was thrown back into the world of the living. Faced with a repressive cultural environment and the threat of a spell in a prison farm, Gao fled Beijing and began a journey of 15,000 kilometers over a period of five months. The result of this epic voyage of discovery is Soul Mountain . A bold, lyrical, prodigious novel, Soul Mountain probes the human soul with an uncommon directness and candor. Interwoven with a myriad of stories and countless memorable characters—from venerable Daoist masters and Buddhist nuns to mythical Wild Men, deadly Qichun snakes, and farting buses—is the narrator's poignant inner journey and search for freedom. Review: UNIQUE AND POWERFUL - This has to be one of the most controversial books on the market. Either you love it or hate it, as reflected by ratings from 1 to 5 stars. I read the book first in Chinese (my first language), then in English, and I think I can partially explain this contradiction. The central theme of the book is straightforward. A dying man goes on a quest for adventure and closure. The reason he chose to go to the Soul Mountain is purely coincidental, he heard the name casually mentioned by a fellow traveler on the train. We can only speculate that he was drawn to the "Soul" mountain in the hope of finding some spiritual enlightening and the meaning of his own existence. The Soul Mountain (Lingshan) continues to elude Gao, and the closest thing he ever got to is the Soul Rock (Lingyan) where women burn incense when they want to have sons. Unlike many other readers, I could not detect any deep moral or religious questioning on the part of the author, nor is there a spiritual awakening in this book. What has captivated me is Gao's lyrical description of the amazing landscape, the villagers, the Taoist priests, the monks and the hermits who live in the deep mountains and back woods. He reflects fleetingly on his past, full of memories of political persecution, failures in love and relationships, lack of fulfillment, and wrestles with his own demons of loneliness and homesickness. I am moved by his irrepressible sadness whenever he encounters remnants of his childhood: ponds with floating duckweed, arched stone bridges, small town wine shops---.I am dazzled by Gao's masterful use of both traditional and modern Chinese prose, his subtle sense of humor, irony, drama, mystery and his knowledge of history and folklore. Gao's alternative use of "I." "you" and "He" does not bother me. In my mind's eye, I see the same person. But I find his jumps from reality to fantasy, from the mystic mountain to the sizzling bedroom a bit disorienting. His haunting nightmares and his philosophical rambling remind me of Avant Garde paintings. One gets a sense of power, but not beauty. I read the Chinese version of the book first and loved it. However, when I read the English translation, I felt something was lost. It was not the fault of the translator, but the huge problem of uprooting a monumental work from its native land and transplanting it in a foreign soil. It is therefore surprising to me that so many Western readers are able to enjoy this remarkable piece of literature. The matter of women in Gao's writing requires some cultural context. By tradition, the mainstream Chinese writers have been reticent about the matter of sex. Serious writers did not engage in description of sexual love. But as a modern writer, Gao probably feel obliged to break this taboo, although in my opinion, he probably does not feel comfortable about it, nor is this one of the more successful aspects of the book. The women in Gao's book are hard for the Westerners to relate. One book reviewer at desertcart.com described these women as "deranged or hysterical drama queens of the highest order." When reading this book, it is important to consider the social context it was written in. For more than 3 decades beginning from 1949, the only art form allowed in China was the exultation of the victory of the Communist revolution and the greatness of Mao Zedong. It is to Gao's credit that he was able to create his own unique writing style, despite this very difficult creative climate. If "uniqueness," "power" and "craftsmanship" are the chief criteria by which art should be evaluated, then Gao deserves the highest honor possible bestowed upon him. H. Mei Liu, M.D., author of GRANDFATHER'S MICROSCOPE Review: Follow the mind of an overly cerebral writer of Chinese origin. - This novel, Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian, won a Nobel Prize in Literature. I read it to understand the Chinese way of looking at things and found it to be overly long and, in some places, too prosaic. By the time I had completed the book, I appreciated it more. I understood it as almost a stream of consciousness, with the narrator taking you through most of his views as the various characters and his piercing the veil of consciousness into some very enlightened states. I am so used to reading Western literature that I became bored by his primarily locating himself in nature and going on and on about it. I'm glad I read it, but I believe it could have been much better edited. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #306,971 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #937 in Cultural Heritage Fiction #7,140 in Classic Literature & Fiction #8,755 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 300 Reviews | ## Images ![Soul Mountain - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/913xwIu+1NL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ UNIQUE AND POWERFUL *by M***U on March 27, 2003* This has to be one of the most controversial books on the market. Either you love it or hate it, as reflected by ratings from 1 to 5 stars. I read the book first in Chinese (my first language), then in English, and I think I can partially explain this contradiction. The central theme of the book is straightforward. A dying man goes on a quest for adventure and closure. The reason he chose to go to the Soul Mountain is purely coincidental, he heard the name casually mentioned by a fellow traveler on the train. We can only speculate that he was drawn to the "Soul" mountain in the hope of finding some spiritual enlightening and the meaning of his own existence. The Soul Mountain (Lingshan) continues to elude Gao, and the closest thing he ever got to is the Soul Rock (Lingyan) where women burn incense when they want to have sons. Unlike many other readers, I could not detect any deep moral or religious questioning on the part of the author, nor is there a spiritual awakening in this book. What has captivated me is Gao's lyrical description of the amazing landscape, the villagers, the Taoist priests, the monks and the hermits who live in the deep mountains and back woods. He reflects fleetingly on his past, full of memories of political persecution, failures in love and relationships, lack of fulfillment, and wrestles with his own demons of loneliness and homesickness. I am moved by his irrepressible sadness whenever he encounters remnants of his childhood: ponds with floating duckweed, arched stone bridges, small town wine shops---.I am dazzled by Gao's masterful use of both traditional and modern Chinese prose, his subtle sense of humor, irony, drama, mystery and his knowledge of history and folklore. Gao's alternative use of "I." "you" and "He" does not bother me. In my mind's eye, I see the same person. But I find his jumps from reality to fantasy, from the mystic mountain to the sizzling bedroom a bit disorienting. His haunting nightmares and his philosophical rambling remind me of Avant Garde paintings. One gets a sense of power, but not beauty. I read the Chinese version of the book first and loved it. However, when I read the English translation, I felt something was lost. It was not the fault of the translator, but the huge problem of uprooting a monumental work from its native land and transplanting it in a foreign soil. It is therefore surprising to me that so many Western readers are able to enjoy this remarkable piece of literature. The matter of women in Gao's writing requires some cultural context. By tradition, the mainstream Chinese writers have been reticent about the matter of sex. Serious writers did not engage in description of sexual love. But as a modern writer, Gao probably feel obliged to break this taboo, although in my opinion, he probably does not feel comfortable about it, nor is this one of the more successful aspects of the book. The women in Gao's book are hard for the Westerners to relate. One book reviewer at Amazon.com described these women as "deranged or hysterical drama queens of the highest order." When reading this book, it is important to consider the social context it was written in. For more than 3 decades beginning from 1949, the only art form allowed in China was the exultation of the victory of the Communist revolution and the greatness of Mao Zedong. It is to Gao's credit that he was able to create his own unique writing style, despite this very difficult creative climate. If "uniqueness," "power" and "craftsmanship" are the chief criteria by which art should be evaluated, then Gao deserves the highest honor possible bestowed upon him. H. Mei Liu, M.D., author of GRANDFATHER'S MICROSCOPE ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Follow the mind of an overly cerebral writer of Chinese origin. *by M***E on September 8, 2025* This novel, Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian, won a Nobel Prize in Literature. I read it to understand the Chinese way of looking at things and found it to be overly long and, in some places, too prosaic. By the time I had completed the book, I appreciated it more. I understood it as almost a stream of consciousness, with the narrator taking you through most of his views as the various characters and his piercing the veil of consciousness into some very enlightened states. I am so used to reading Western literature that I became bored by his primarily locating himself in nature and going on and on about it. I'm glad I read it, but I believe it could have been much better edited. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's OK not to finish it. *by M***N on September 15, 2021* “This isn’t a novel.” [Chapter 72] A number of reviewers here complained that they could not read this work that their book club had selected. I’m inclined to agree that Soul Mountain is likely not a good choice for a book club. Perhaps one needs to be a bit of a loner to relate to it. The work is discontinuous yet loosely connected. If you consider that Xingjian is a translator of Samuel Beckett, then the style may not seem so foreign. The narrator travels rural China in search of Soul Mountain (Lingshan), but it is not a geographical place. Rather it may be a place within himself. It is a search for meaning, or rather for a way to accept the lack of meaning. The first sentence of the final chapter reads: “In the snow outside my window I see a small green frog, one eye blinking and the other wide open, unmoving, looking at me. I know this is God.” But, this is not the Judeo-Christian-Islamic god who provides life and creation with meaning and purpose – God’s purpose may not be known to us, but believers have faith it is real and vital. This rather is the god of the void, of chaos. In Chapter 18 the narrator asks: “Can this possibly be the primitive loneliness devoid of all meaning I seek?” Did the narrator secede in his quest? A number of reviewers here complained that they could not finish this book. But, that’s OK. You do not need to. After reading the first few chapters, you should accept that this is not a linear work. If you like, you can just skip around and read a few chapters here and there. Do not try to decipher them. Just let them sink in. Xingjian is also an artist. You might look up some of his ink paintings and see if you can match them with chapters in Soul Mountain. Maybe someday, perhaps when you are over 50, you’ll come back to Soul Mountain and read it cover-to-cover. Or maybe not. In any case, there is much spiritual matter here for contemplation. Take what you like – no need to stuff yourself. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/51631499-soul-mountain](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/51631499-soul-mountain) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*