Xiaolu Guo. La Xina soc jo (I Am China). International Catalan Institute for Peace and Angle Editorial, 2026. Classics of Peace and Nonviolence Collection, 25.
In London, translator Iona Kirkpatrick begins working on a bundle of Chinese papers: real letters, notes and diaries. Two lovers, Mu and Jian, have been forcibly separated. Jian appears to have been expelled from the country after distributing subversive propaganda at a concert by his band, and is now wandering around Europe, hoping to be granted asylum somewhere. Meanwhile, Mu has embarked on an artistic tour of the United States. As Iona translates their love story and unravels their identities, the dramatic family histories behind them are gradually revealed, shaped by the contrasting social classes to which they belong. Outside China, both lovers experience a freedom they have never known before, but at the same time they feel a profound sense of nostalgia for the loss of their cultural world, their surroundings and their points of reference.
This extraordinary novel offers a multifaceted exploration of politics and culture across three continents. Running through it is a difficult question with no easy answer: is it worth risking the personal life one is building (love, committed art, the future) in order to fight for uncertain ideals?
This is the first novel by Xiaolu Guo to be published in Catalan.
The author
Born in Zhejiang in 1973, Xiaolu Guo published six books in China before moving to London in 2002. Most of her novels have been shortlisted for or nominated for major literary prizes. Her memoirs won the National Book Critics Circle Award and were named Book of the Year by The Sunday Times. Her latest novel is Call Me Ishmaelle (2025).
She is also an acclaimed director of feature films and documentaries, including We Went to Wonderland, She, a Chinese and Once Upon a Time Proletarian. She is a member of the Royal Society of Literature and a visiting professor at Freie Universität Berlin.