Snow in August

Snow in August is based on the life of Huineng (AD 633-713), the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in Tang Dynasty China. Packed with the myriad sights and sounds of both the Eastern and Western theatrical traditions, the play exudes wonder and mysticism. The many koan cases and the story of Huineng's enlightenment afford the audience fascinating vignettes of Gao's vision of life and existencea'an awareness of the Void and the need for a personal peace with onself. GAO Xingjian is the winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Chinese to receive the award. Best-known for his novels and plays, he is a multitalented artist who also excels as stage director, painter, poet, photographer and literary theorist. In 2007, he completed his movie Silhouette/Shadow, in which he was the writer, director and actor. Born in Jiangxi, China, he has settled in Paris, France since 1987. Gilbert C. F. Fong is a professor at the Department of Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the translator of The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian, (also by The Chinese University Press, 1999) and also editor of Hong Kong Drama Review, Journal of Translation Studies and several books on Chinese and Hong Kong Drama.