Diary of a Naked Official (19 page)

[Please note that I have added this postscript as my interpretation of the diary I have read and as an extended part of it as I have imagined – editor's note.]

The main protagonist of this novel seems to be what is known as a naked official, with his wife and daughter, as well as his large embezzled sums of money through selling book numbers for more than they are worth, e.g. one book number worth 10k sold for 60k, now all safely installed overseas. He is now in detention in No. 1 Detention Centre in X city. The first day he enters into his cell, he is surrounded by the inmates, led by a man with a deep scar near the end of his right brow, and wearing a large bushy moustache. He advances towards our naked official, in menacing steps, and grabs hold of his collar as he says, ‘Who told you to come here?'

The naked official, whose name is a mere code of 835, says, ‘I am sorry but what did you say?'

The man, whose code number is 174, turns his head
back and says to the rest of the inmates, ‘The guy is a bit hard of hearing. Guys, give him some colour to see see.'

Even before he finishes the remark, the other inmates pounce upon 835 and box his ears, instantly breaking his eardrums.

And, in that instant, 835 experiences such excruciating pain that he bursts into tears and curiously recalls the mental pain he went through at the news of J Ro's death. There were no tears shed then, although he had a dream that night in which he made such wild love to her that his root actually melted inside her, like tears. Sinking to his knees, 835, with blood running out of his ears and his mouth, says repeatedly, ‘Beat me as hard as you like and, if possible, beat me to death! I fuck you all. I fuck your guts.'

Books or Other Works, including
Songs, Consulted

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http://www.kk07.com/music-71999.shtml
###

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Ouyang Yu was born in Huangzhou, China. Since arriving in Australia in 1991, Yu has commenced an extraordinarily prolific literary career as a poet, critic, translator, editor and novelist. His award winning fiction includes
The Eastern Slope Chronicle
(2002) and
The English Class
(2010). He is also well known for his fine command of poetic craft and his poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and newspapers, and have been frequently anthologised. His many poetry books include
Self Translation
(2012). He currently divides his time between Melbourne, Australia and Shanghai, China. More at:
www.ouyangyu.com.au