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Big Breasts and Wide Hips is one of Mo Yan's most acclaimed novels. The author was born and raised in the hinterland of Qingdao, the former German colony of Tsingtau, in NE China. European and foreign influences impacted on this rural territory, which at the onset of the 20th century preserved an ancestral genuineness. Exploiting this background and his own vital development, the Nobel laureate spins a narrative that spans the whole century and offers an alternative historical view of a tumultuous China. The main narrative voice, an ever-immature man, Jintong (the Golden baby), never leaves this tiny spot for his story-telling. But the novel reaches new summits in the Chinese literature through a bold feminist and feminine approach. Chinese fairy tales, South-American magical realism and a personal style combine to create an epic that transcends borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fairy tales have evolved over the centuries, versioning and adapting to the socio-cultural needs of each era. As it arises in oral tradition, no written record is kept of the first version of each tale, which gives the opportunity to change and modify any details. Over time, it may seem that the new versions are far from the original fairy tale story, but really each and every one of them maintains the universal symbology of the first version. Throughout this work, the story of Sleeping Beauty will be studied in its three most famous versions and it will be possible to observe how, despite all the changes introduced in different times and regions, the universal symbols are maintained, with certain novelties to make the most attractive story for readers of the time. These symbols show us that no matter how much the story changes, the essence will remain the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]