A portrait of China's century through the story of the women in the author's life, from the highly acclaimed novelist, twice shortlisted for the International Booker Prize

Part memoir and part literary nonfiction, The Women captures the harsh and unequal experience of being a woman in 1970s and 80s rural China. Written by the award winning author Yan Lianke, the book is both a tribute to the women who shaped his life and a sociological critique of China's treatment of women. "In the countryside, the human being is a worker," but rural women's work is diminished, their hardship ignored. Through humor and tragedy, Lianke shares their story and reveals a side of Chinese life rarely accessed by the West.

"One of China's greatest living authors and fiercest satirists." - The Guardian

"China's most controversial novelist" - New Yorker

"Yan is a nimble and fascinating storyteller. Erudite and cosmopolitan, veering between high and low culture, his narration is conversational and sprinkled with witty asides...The Women is an enlightening collection of free-ranging essays that express appreciation of family and the feminine" - Foreword Reviews