1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: The story of two lives, one nation, and a century of art under tyranny...

— —

Ai Weiwei

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

The story of two lives, one nation, and a century of art under tyranny

Ai Weiwei

$49.99

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Bodley Head
02 November 2021

Art & design styles: Conceptual art; Biography; Autobiography: arts & entertainment; Memoirs; Social & cultural history; Political oppression & persecution

In his widely anticipated memoir, Ai Weiwei - the famous artist and activist - tells a century-long epic tale of China through the story of his own extraordinary life, and the legacy of his father Ai Qing, the nation's most celebrated poet.

Hailed as 'the most important artist working today' by The Financial Times and as 'an eloquent and unsilenceable voice of freedom' by The New York Times, Ai Weiwei has written a sweeping memoir that presents a remarkable history of China over the last 100 years, while also illuminating his artistic process.

Once an intimate of Mao Zedong, Ai Weiwei's father was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, so he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as 'Little Siberia', where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labour cleaning public toilets. Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol. With candour and wit, he details his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist - and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime.

Ai Weiwei's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his own life story and that of his father, whose own creativity was stifled.

At once ambitious and intimate, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows offers a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China, and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.

By: Ai Weiwei
Imprint: Bodley Head
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 37mm
Weight: 774g
ISBN: 9781847923509
ISBN 10: 184792350X
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 02 November 2021
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ai Weiwei is one of the world's most important living artists. Born in 1957, he lives in Cambridge, UK. Allan H. Barr is the author of a study in Chinese of a literary inquisition in the early Qing dynasty, Jiangnan yijie- Qing ren bixia de Zhuangshi shi'an, and the translator of several books by contemporary Chinese authors, including Yu Hua's China in Ten Words and Han Han's This Generation. He teaches Chinese at Pomona College in California.

Reviews for 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: The story of two lives, one nation, and a century of art under tyranny

Intimate, unflinching ... an instant classic ... a glorious testament to the power of free expression -- Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition This is the rarest sort of memoir, rising above the arc of history to grasp at the limits of the soul -- Edward Snowden An impassioned testament to the enduring powers of art -- Michiko Kakutani, author of Ex Libris Ai Weiwei is one of the world's greatest living artists. He is a master of multiple media. His work is always thought-provoking, unpredictable and immensely personal -- Elton John The most important artist working today * Financial Times * A majestic and exquisitely serious masterpiece about his China, which is in fact a book about our world. His is one of the great voices of our time -- Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and Far and Away 1000 years of joys and sorrows are here concentrated into a mere 100. They are years that teem with life of a startling variety. The presentation is artful and the translation exquisite -- Perry Link, author of An Anatomy of Chinese An eloquent and unsilenceable voice of freedom * New York Times * Ai Weiwei is the kind of visionary any nation should be proud to count among its creative class. He has drawn the world's attention to the vibrancy of contemporary Chinese culture * Time Magazine *