Skip to content

Wolf Totem
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem Paperback - 2009

by Jiang Rong; Howard Goldblatt (Translator)

An epic Chinese tale, "Wolf Totem" depicts the dying culture of the Mongols--the descendants of the Mongol hordes who at one time terrorized the world--and the parallel extinction of the animal they believe to be sacred: the fierce and otherworldly Mongolian wolf.


Summary

China's runaway bestseller and winner of the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize

Published in China in 2004, Wolf Totem has broken all sales records, selling millions of copies (along with millions more on the black market).. Part period epic, part fable for modern days, Wolf Totem depicts the dying culture of the Mongols-the ancestors of the Mongol hordes who at one time terrorized the world-and the parallel extinction of the animal they believe to be sacred: the fierce and otherworldly Mongolian wolf. Beautifully translated by Howard Goldblatt, the foremost translator of Chinese fiction, this extraordinary novel is finally available in English.

From the publisher

Jiang Rong was born in Jiangsu in 1946. His father’s job saw the family move to Beijing in 1957, and Jiang entered the Central Academy of Fine Art in 1967. His education cut short by events in China, the twenty-one-year-old Jiang volunteered to work in Inner Mongolia’s East Ujimqin Banner in 1967, where he lived and labored with the native nomads for the next eleven years of his life. He took with him two cases filled with Chinese translations of Western literary classics, and spent years immersed in personal studies of Mongolian history, culture, and tradition. A growing fascination for the mythologies surrounding the wolves of the grasslands inspired him to learn all he could about them and he adopted and raised an orphaned wolf cub. In 1978 he returned to Beijing, continuing his education at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences one year later. Jiang worked as an academic until his retirement in 2006. Wolf Totem is a fictional account of life in the 1970s that draws on Jiang’s personal experience of the grasslands of China’s border region.

Details

  • Title Wolf Totem
  • Author Jiang Rong; Howard Goldblatt (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 544
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, U.S.A.
  • Date 2009-03-31
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Glossary, Illustrated, Maps, Price on Product - Canadian
  • ISBN 9780143115144 / 0143115146
  • Weight 1.1 lbs (0.50 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 in (21.08 x 13.97 x 3.05 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1960's
    • Cultural Region: Asian - Chinese
  • Library of Congress subjects Wolves - China - Inner Mongolia
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"An intellectual adventure story. . . . Five hundred bloody and instructive pages later, you just want to stand up and howl."
-Alan Cheuse, San Francisco Chronicle

"[Jiang Rong] is on the way to becoming one of the most celebrated and controversial Chinese novelists in the world."
-The Guardian (London)

"Electrifying. . . . The power of Jiang's prose (and of Howard Goldblatt's excellent translation) is evident. . . . This semi-autographical novel is a literary triumph."
-National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)

Citations

  • New York Times Book Review, 04/26/2009, Page 24

About the author

Jiang Rong was born in Jiangsu in 1946. His father's job saw the family move to Beijing in 1957, and Jiang entered the Central Academy of Fine Art in 1967. His education cut short by events in China, the twenty-one-year-old Jiang volunteered to work in Inner Mongolia's East Ujimqin Banner in 1967, where he lived and labored with the native nomads for the next eleven years of his life. He took with him two cases filled with Chinese translations of Western literary classics, and spent years immersed in personal studies of Mongolian history, culture, and tradition. A growing fascination for the mythologies surrounding the wolves of the grasslands inspired him to learn all he could about them and he adopted and raised an orphaned wolf cub. In 1978 he returned to Beijing, continuing his education at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences one year later. Jiang worked as an academic until his retirement in 2006. Wolf Totem is a fictional account of life in the 1970s that draws on Jiang's personal experience of the grasslands of China's border region.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Wolf Totem: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem: A Novel

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Annandale, New Jersey, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The cover shows normal wear. This is a ex library book, stickers and markings accordingly. Fast shipping and order satisfaction guaranteed. A portion of your purchase benefits Non-Profit Organizations, First Aid and Fire Stations!
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA
Wolf Totem: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem: A Novel

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$4.54
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books. Used - Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Item Price
$4.54
$3.99 shipping to USA
Wolf Totem : A Novel

Wolf Totem : A Novel

by Jiang Rong

  • Used
  • Very Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2009. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem

Wolf Totem

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
6
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2009. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem

Wolf Totem

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
6
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2009. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem : A Novel

Wolf Totem : A Novel

by Jiang Rong

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2009. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.13
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem : A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem : A Novel

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem : A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem : A Novel

by Rong, Jiang

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem: A Novel

by Jiang Rong; Translator-Howard Goldblatt

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.45
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2009-03-31. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
$7.45
FREE shipping to USA
Wolf Totem: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Wolf Totem: A Novel

by Jiang Rong

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115144 / 0143115146
Quantity Available
1
Seller
APPLETON, Wisconsin, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.50
$4.75 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, March 2009. Trade Paperback. Used - Good. Shipping fee applies to first book, there is no additional shipping fee for addition books from our store. All of our books are in clean, readable condition (unless noted otherwise). Our books generally have a store sticker on the inside cover with our in store pricing. Being used books, some of them may have writing inside the cover. If you need more details about a certain book, you can always give us a call at 920-734-8908.
Item Price
$7.50
$4.75 shipping to USA