Iron and Silk 
Salzman is a sweet guy, there's no doubt about it. his tales of his time in china are direct, cleanly written, and rooted in a clear love of the world around him and the people in it. he manages to effortlessly sidestep any potential landmines in terms of race, culture, or class simply by being himself - a warm, unpretentious and rather unsophisticated sweetheart. and Iron & Silk is a great mouthwash after reading the sour musings of the irritable and irritating Paul Theroux. but despite all
This is the second book by Mark Salzman that I have read. The first was Lying Awake and that lovely book inspired me to search out more of Salzman's works. Iron & Silk was the first book he wrote, telling of the two years he spent in China teaching English in the early 80's.Salzman has a wonderful way of describing the people he meets. They become as real to the reader as they were to the author. He is honest about his reactions to the country, and he shares his adventuresas a martial arts

damn! the guy speaks Chinese, does kick-ass gong fu (sic) AND can write?dated but in an interesting, pre-boom China wayneed to read some new travel writing to comparevery funny, concise, well-written. a quick, satisfying read.
From the back cover: The much-acclaimed adventures of a young martial arts master in China take the form of a series of lightly sketched-in episodes; almost without exception, they produce the gulp of feeling you might get from an unusually fine short story, and they reverberate long after you have put them down. (The New York Times)My thoughts:Salzman had been interested in China since the age of thirteen, when hed first seen the television movie Kung Fu. He had studied kung fu, Chinese art and
Before there was Peter Hessler, there was Mark Salzman. This first book of his, Iron and Silk, a memoir of time spent in China, was totally charming. Excellent writing, a keen eye, and a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor marked Salzman as a writer to watch. His subsequent writing career has been unorthodox, but interesting. I've not read all of his work, but the two subsequent books of his that I did read - Lying Awake and The Soloist confirmed him as someone worth keeping up with. True
An autobiography about a twenty two year old and his two years in the Peoples Republic of China (P.R.C.) He was learning Wu-zhu. The Chinese martial art. The portraits of the Chinese he meets are clear and crisp. He was frustrated with the P.R.C. bureaucracy and Chinas misperceptions of the West. Still, he showed great affection for most of the individuals he described. He appreciated their struggles dealing with the rigid systems of the P.R.C. and the difficulties of daily life there. The
Mark Salzman
Paperback | Pages: 224 pages Rating: 3.96 | 3228 Users | 232 Reviews

Be Specific About Regarding Books Iron and Silk
Title | : | Iron and Silk |
Author | : | Mark Salzman |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 224 pages |
Published | : | October 12th 1987 by Vintage (first published 1986) |
Categories | : | Cultural. China. Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Travel. Combat. Martial Arts. Asia. Biography |
Interpretation As Books Iron and Silk
Salzman is a sweet guy, there's no doubt about it. his tales of his time in china are direct, cleanly written, and rooted in a clear love of the world around him and the people in it. he manages to effortlessly sidestep any potential landmines in terms of race, culture, or class simply by being himself - a warm, unpretentious and rather unsophisticated sweetheart. and Iron & Silk is a great mouthwash after reading the sour musings of the irritable and irritating Paul Theroux. but despite all of this travelogue's intrinsic sweetness, this is a rather forgettable personal narrative; conversely, Theroux's critical, often poisonous commentary linger in the mind far longer and seem rooted in a less idealized version of reality. one is a good man and the other is good writer. i liked Iron & Silk, i've recommended it to others, but the sad truth of the matter is that Salzman seems like the sort of good man that i'd like my daughter to marry rather than an interesting writer whose work i'd continue to read.Details Books In Favor Of Iron and Silk
Original Title: | Iron and Silk |
ISBN: | 0394755111 (ISBN13: 9780394755113) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books Iron and Silk
Ratings: 3.96 From 3228 Users | 232 ReviewsNotice Regarding Books Iron and Silk
Salzman became infatuated with Chinese culture, after watching the television series Kung Fu, at age thirteen. He received college degrees from Yale, in both Chinese language and Chinese literature.In the early 80s, he lands a job, in Changsha, China, teaching English to students and teachers at Hunan Medical College. This wonderful memoir, covers his time there. He studies martial arts & calligraphy, with various instructors, which is all fascinating but in these beautiful episodic tales,Salzman is a sweet guy, there's no doubt about it. his tales of his time in china are direct, cleanly written, and rooted in a clear love of the world around him and the people in it. he manages to effortlessly sidestep any potential landmines in terms of race, culture, or class simply by being himself - a warm, unpretentious and rather unsophisticated sweetheart. and Iron & Silk is a great mouthwash after reading the sour musings of the irritable and irritating Paul Theroux. but despite all
This is the second book by Mark Salzman that I have read. The first was Lying Awake and that lovely book inspired me to search out more of Salzman's works. Iron & Silk was the first book he wrote, telling of the two years he spent in China teaching English in the early 80's.Salzman has a wonderful way of describing the people he meets. They become as real to the reader as they were to the author. He is honest about his reactions to the country, and he shares his adventuresas a martial arts

damn! the guy speaks Chinese, does kick-ass gong fu (sic) AND can write?dated but in an interesting, pre-boom China wayneed to read some new travel writing to comparevery funny, concise, well-written. a quick, satisfying read.
From the back cover: The much-acclaimed adventures of a young martial arts master in China take the form of a series of lightly sketched-in episodes; almost without exception, they produce the gulp of feeling you might get from an unusually fine short story, and they reverberate long after you have put them down. (The New York Times)My thoughts:Salzman had been interested in China since the age of thirteen, when hed first seen the television movie Kung Fu. He had studied kung fu, Chinese art and
Before there was Peter Hessler, there was Mark Salzman. This first book of his, Iron and Silk, a memoir of time spent in China, was totally charming. Excellent writing, a keen eye, and a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor marked Salzman as a writer to watch. His subsequent writing career has been unorthodox, but interesting. I've not read all of his work, but the two subsequent books of his that I did read - Lying Awake and The Soloist confirmed him as someone worth keeping up with. True
An autobiography about a twenty two year old and his two years in the Peoples Republic of China (P.R.C.) He was learning Wu-zhu. The Chinese martial art. The portraits of the Chinese he meets are clear and crisp. He was frustrated with the P.R.C. bureaucracy and Chinas misperceptions of the West. Still, he showed great affection for most of the individuals he described. He appreciated their struggles dealing with the rigid systems of the P.R.C. and the difficulties of daily life there. The
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