Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 2The weird and whimsical short stories in Strange Tales from Liaozhai show their author, Pu Songling (1640-1715), to be both an explorer of the macabre, like Edgar Allan Poe, and a moralist, like Aesop. In this first complete translation of the collection's 494 stories into English, readers will encounter supernatural creatures, natural disasters, magical aspects of Buddhist and Daoist spirituality, and a wide range of Chinese folklore. Annotations are provided to clarify unfamiliar references or cultural allusions, and introductory essays have been included to explain facets of Pu Songling's work and to provide context for some of the unique qualities of his uncanny tales. This is the second of 6 volumes. |
From inside the book
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... guest to have a seat by himself for a few moments, then hurried inside to tell his daughter. The girl, overjoyed, managed to get up out of bed by herself. She peeked out to check on him, but found that his appearance didn't fit with his ...
... guest that the situation had changed and he could no longer invite him to stay. “Is this how the noble Minister of Revenue keeps his promises?” asked Zhang. Lu answered him casually. Then he turned his head away and looked around ...
... guests casually, then sat down at once. Han briefly asked him about himself, and hence found out that the priest was living east of the village in an abandoned temple. “I wasn't informed that you had settled into that temple,” said Han ...
... guest, so why don't you ever serve as the host once in awhile?” The priest grinned and replied, “I'm just like you—a pair of shoulders holding up a mouth.” Xu, ashamed, found himself unable to reply. The Daoist remarked, “Nevertheless ...
... guests to drink more. The younger girl beat the rhythm and sang while the older one played the xiao, their sounds pristine and delicate. Each time they finished a song, the priest would solicitously urge the others to drain their cups ...