March 2013
The Coward
by Liang Xiaosheng
This novel depicts the image of a controversial and dubious “coward”. The refined, gentle and frail-looking Wang Wenqi is in fact an enduring and staunch person. During the mop-up operation of the Japanese invaders in the village, in order to save the life of a rash villager, he exposes his true identity. He thus finds himself trapped between mixing with the Japanese invaders against his will and incurring the hatred of the local villagers … He shows submission and even ingratiation towards the Japanese, never daring to defy them openly, but in his inner world he is full of hatred towards the Japanese. He eventually beheads the local Japanese chief officer. Such an action of fighting against tyranny with submissiveness and such a show of power behind apparent weakness bear witness to an honest and truly kind “coward” who struggles for a living between the cruelty of the enemy and the indignation of the nation.
