Liao Yiwu
The Corpse Walker
Het volgende fragment is vertaald in opdracht van The Paris Review. Voor het hele verhaal klik hier.
The Public Toilet Manager
Grandpa Zhou has handled human waste for almost all his life, first as an employee of the state in charge of cleaning public toilets and now as an independent toilet manager under contract with the city government of Chengdu to manage a large public toilet in the northwestern part of the city. “It’s serious business,” says Grandpa Zhou. He’s about seventy years old, but he looks pretty energetic.
I had known of Grandpa Zhou for quite some time. His toilet stands almost next door to my mother’s teahouse. But we were simply nodding acquaintances. One night I summoned up enough courage to get over my concerns about losing my social status as an intellectual and started a conversation with him.
GRANDPA ZHOU
Are you coming in to use the toilet or not? It’s already past midnight. Based on our rules I need to charge you extra. How else can I pay my taxes to the city’s Environment and Hygiene Department? But since you’re a regular client, I’ll waive the extra charge.
LIAO YIWU
I’m not here to use the toilet. I want to take you out for tea.
ZHOU
You don’t have to bother. I’m only a public toilet guard.
LIAO
Let’s go over to the teahouse, Grandpa Zhou.
ZHOU
You’re too nice. Is your mom’s teahouse still open? Actually, the more her customers drink, the better for my business. When their bladders are full they come to my place. It’s mutually beneficial.
LIAO
In this world there are rich people and poor people, aristocrats and common folks. But when it comes to the call of nature, everyone’s equal. Even the emperor has to take a shit.
ZHOU
I’ve never seen a royal family member taking a shit. If they did, they wouldn’t come to do it in this public toilet.
Hey, you’re a writer, you like to collect material for your articles. Did you know there was an attempted murder here not long ago? About two weeks ago a guy was chasing a young woman and she ran into this toilet. I tried to stop the guy at the door but couldn’t. All the female squatters were startled and began to scream. I sent my son to break it up, but the man took a knife out of his pocket. Nobody dared move. The guy seized the young woman and was about to slash her face. She went to her knees, begging for mercy.
[…]
Klik hier voor het vervolg.
Op de website van The Paris Review staat ook een recent interview van Liao Yiwu met een overlevende van de aardbeving in Sichuan: ‘The survivor’ Lees het interview hier.