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Pu Songling
Pu Songling is the author behind the Antología de la literatura fantástica. He's known for his contributions to the fantasy genre.
Strange tales from a Chinese studio
Synopsis
Explore a world where reality is fluid and appearances are deceiving in this collection of 104 exquisite miniatures. These classical Chinese tales, celebrated for their elegant prose and clever wordplay, offer a glimpse into a realm where the strange and the familiar intertwine. Each story is a subtle charm, revealing unexpected truths and a unique perspective on life.
Genres
Frequently asked questions
Is this book a complete collection of all the stories written by Pu Songling?
The original work, known as Liaozhai Zhiyi, contains nearly five hundred individual tales, whereas most English editions are curated selections that include only a fraction of the total manuscripts.
How do these stories relate to the author's real life?
Pu Songling was a scholar who spent decades failing the imperial civil service examinations, and many of his tales use supernatural narratives to satirize the corruption and social injustices he observed within the bureaucracy of his time.
Are there significant differences between various English translations of this work?
Translations vary greatly in content because earlier versions, such as the one by Herbert Giles, often omitted or sanitized passages involving sexuality, blood, or the human body to align with the social sensibilities of the Victorian era.