Mai Jia

"Mai plays adroitly with literary genre and crafts a story of Borgesian subtlety and complexity."--"The New Yorker " Rong Jinzhen, an autistic math genius with a past shrouded in myth, is forced to abandon his academic pursuits when he is recruited into Unit 701: a top-secret Chinese intelligence agency whose sole purpose is counterespionage and code-breaking. As China's greatest cryptographer, Rong discovers that the mastermind behind the maddeningly difficult Purple Code is his former teacher and best friend, who is now working for China's enemy--but this is only the first of many betrayals. The first novel to be published in English by one of China's greatest contemporary writers, "Decoded" is a riveting tale of obsession and a profound exploration of the mind of an inspired genius, one that discovers in cryptography the key to the human heart.

Decoded tells the story of Rong Jinzhwen, one of the great code-breakers in the world. A semi-autistic mathematical genius, Jinzhen is recruited to the cryptography department of China's secret services, Unit 701, where he is assigned the task of breaking the elusive 'Code Purple'. Jinzhen rises through the ranks to eventually become China's greatest and most celebrated code-breaker; until he makes a mistake. Then begins his descent through the unfathomable darkness of the world of cryptology into madness. Decoded was an immediate success when it was published in 2002 in China and has become an international bestseller. With the pacing of a literary crime thriller, Mai Jia's masterpiece also combines elements of historical fiction and state espionage. Taking place in the shadowy world of Chinese secret security, where Mai Jia worked for decades, it introduces us to a place that is unfamiliar, intriguing and authentic. And with Rong Jinzhen, it introduces us to a character who is deeply flawed and fragile, yet possessing exceptional intelligence. Decoded is an unforgettable and gripping story of genius, brilliance, insanity and human frailty. Mai Jia (the pseudonym of Jiang Benhu) is arguably the most successful writer in China today. His books are constant bestsellers, with total sales over three million copies. He became the highest paid author in China last year with his new book, Wind Talk. He has achieved unprecedented success with film adaptation: all of his novels are made - or are being made - into major films or TV series, the screenplays of which are often written by Mai Jia himself. He is hailed as the forerunner of Chinese espionage fiction, and has created a unique genre that combines spycraft, code-breaking, crime, human drama, historical fiction, and metafiction. He has won almost every major award in China, including the highest literary honor - the Mao Dun Award.

One genius trying to work out what another genius has done - it results in the most appalling carnage ...' The world only makes sense to Rong Jinzhen through numbers. As an orphaned child he counts the ants on the ground and writes calculations on wrapping paper. But as this fragile, isolated boy grows up, his mathematical genius is recognized by the secret services. Recruited as a codebreaker to crack the notorious 'Purple' cipher, he begins to unravel ...

Mai Jia (the pseudonym of Jiang Benhu) is arguably the most successful writer in China today. His books are constant bestsellers, with total sales over three million copies. He is hailed as the forerunner of Chinese espionage fiction, and has created a unique genre that combines spycraft, code-breaking, crime, human drama, historical fiction, and metafiction. He has won almost every major award in China, including the highest literary honor - the Mao Dun Award.

Dopo aver lavorato a lungo nei servizi segreti cinesi, a fianco di agenti e criptoanalisti, Mai Jia trasferisce la sua profonda esperienza in una spy story ad alta tensione che, sullo sfondo di una delle grandi guerre della storia, assume il fascino di un rompicapo matematico.

Um dos livros mais vendidos na China, O criptógrafo revela o mundo misterioso da Unidade 701, uma agência de inteligência chinesa cujo único objetivo é contraespionagem e quebra de códigos.Ao receber

«Si se para a pensarlo —continuó el director—, un genio matemático, alguien que desde la infancia había estado en contacto íntimo con la interpretación de los sueños, un hombre que había estudiado la

Un thriller literari excepcional: inclassificable, original, autèntic, totalment absorbent«Si hi penses, un geni matemàtic, un home que des de petit ha tingut contacte amb la interpretació dels somni

¿Quién es Mai Jia? El escritor de mayor éxito en el mundo que no podrás dejar de leer.«Si se para a pensarlo—continuó el director—, un genio matemático, alguien que desde la infancia había estado en

«Soy de la Unidad Especial 701. Éste es mi secreto, pero ante todo es un secreto de Estado.»En la oscuridad es la historia de un hombre que está en el lugar equivocado. Un hombre de negocios, de nomb