Platinum Bible of the Public Toilet: Ten Queer Stories

The Platinum Bible of the Public Toilet is the first English-language collection of short stories by Cui Zien, a queer filmmaker, writer, scholar, and LGBTQ rights activist from China. It presents ten queer coming-of-age stories of young boys and men exploring their sexuality and desires, focusing on queer sexuality as a core part of human experience. The stories are imaginative, vividly written, and portray the emergence of queer cultures in postsocialist China while highlighting the commitments to one's erotic and passionate attractions, even as they lead to cultural transgressions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: Duke University Press

The Platinum Bible of the Public Toilet, a remarkable English-language collection of short stories by Cui Zien, stands as a testament to the extraordinary talent and provocative vision of China's most renowned and contentious queer filmmaker, writer, scholar, and LGBTQ rights advocate. Drawing upon his own upbringing in socialist and postsocialist China, Cui unveils a poignant tapestry of ten queer coming-of-age narratives, delving into the depths of young boys and men's sexual exploration and desires. Spanning a surreal fairytale that depicts a ragtag group of neighborhood boys embarking on a journey of sexual awakening, to a chronicle of the gender-bending and homoerotic entanglements of university students, to romantic love triangle erotica, and even a story that examines the complexities of teacher-student love and the societal norms surrounding sex and age, Cui centers queer sexuality as a fundamental facet of human existence. With his rich imagination and vividly descriptive prose, Platinum Bible of the Public Toilet paints a vivid portrait of the emergence of queer cultures in postsocialist China, while simultaneously highlighting the unwavering commitment to one's erotic and passionate attractions, even as they navigate the boundaries of cultural transgression. This extraordinary volume features a preface penned by the author and an insightful interview that further sheds light on his creative process and thought-provoking perspectives.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478024880