New Reprint of Ban Yu’s “Winter Swimming”: Plunge into the Swimming Pool on a Midsummer Night and Swim to the Winter Sea
By Chen Junyu, Workers’ Daily-China Industry Net Reporter
“Winter Swimming,” the debut novel by young writer Ban Yu, is set for a new reprint. The book, which collects seven stories, showcases Ban Yu’s talent and has been hailed as a masterpiece.
Set against the backdrop of railroad tracks, fortifications, and heavy snow, “Winter Swimming” follows the lives of various characters including printing factory workers, crane drivers, gamblers, and the unemployed. Their lives are filled with passivity, threats, embarrassment, and silence as they exist in a remote and isolated manner.
These seven northern stories capture the essence of human dignity in extreme cold. Despite their bleak circumstances, there is an underlying light and heat within these characters. Some soar above their circumstances, while others succumb to their hardships. The resilience and warmth displayed by these individuals cut through the icy darkness, creating a heartfelt tribute to the northern region.
“Winter Swimming” explores the traces left behind by time. It serves as Ban Yu’s ode to the lost north, showcasing both sadness and resistance. The original edition of the book, released in September 2018, did not garner significant attention initially. However, it broke the barriers between pure literature and the market, becoming a literary bestseller and a hot topic of discussion. It received critical acclaim, winning several awards including the Douban Book of the Year and the Sina Best Book List “Top Ten Best Books of 2018.”
Now, this summer, “Winter Swimming” receives a new lease on life with its re-release by casting culture and Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House. The new edition strips away the external distractions and returns to the core of the stories themselves.
Visual designer Li Zhengke brings a unique visual language to “Winter Swimming.” The cover depicts a massive waterfall, capturing the silent yet powerful explosion of emotions, the coercion of the times, and the bittersweet romance of life. The font chosen for the book title resembles a notice on a wooden board, adding a sense of solidity and responsibility. Placing the title at the bottom of the cover maximizes the emotional space and potential energy of the overall visual composition.
Ban Yu expresses his hope for the new edition: “I hope that someone’s desires can be reignited and that they can reconnect with their true essence, even if they may have felt insignificant in the past. I also hope to become a temporary companion for readers, offering them the necessary courage to focus, reflect, and embrace both meetings and separations. Just like listening to the raindrops dripping across the roof on a melancholic spring day or diving into a swimming pool on a midsummer night to swim towards the winter sea.”
Five years after its initial release, “Winter Swimming” eagerly awaits new readers who are ready to take the plunge and explore its captivating stories.