Sabrana dela 11: Obećanje
The Promise (1943) is a direct sequel to the novel Dragon Seed. The story takes place during World War II, mainly in Burma in 1942, as the Japanese advance through Asia.
Old Ling Tan still believes in the Allied promise: if the Chinese help the British, they will receive weapons and aircraft to defend their own country. His son Lao San (Sheng), a brave guerrilla, leads a Chinese unit into Burma to rescue the besieged British forces.
But instead of gratitude, the Chinese are greeted with racism and arrogance. The Burmese hate them for helping the colonizers, and the British treat them as inferior assistants – “expendable goods”. The promised help does not arrive, Chinese soldiers die in futile actions, and the alliance turns into a bitter betrayal.
Along with the suffering of war, hunger and a retreat through the jungle, Sheng’s love for the strong Mayla is followed, and the fate of Ling Tan’s youngest daughter Panxiao is also followed.
The novel is a sharp critique of Western colonialism, racism and the Allies’ false promises to Asia. It is shorter, more dynamic and politically bitter than Bucka’s previous works, with an emphasis on disillusionment and the human cost of war.
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