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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... inside the underworld bureaucracy who can turn a blind eye to the individual's case, or with a relative or acquaintance who can exploit their own contacts to make that happen. One can even return to the living thanks to timely bribes to ...
... 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 age, began to cry, and returned, complaining that her father ...
... inside without turning back to look at him. Han heard a pounding at the door for some time, then asked who it was, and his servant described the situation. But before he'd finished explaining, the Daoist had actually entered, so Han ...
... inside. The guest was over fifty, his clothing and shoes fresh and clean, his manner calm and refined. Once they were seated, the visitor explained that his reason for coming was to deliver Hu's proposal of marriage. The host was silent ...
... inside, and was used for magic tricks. The magician laid out a couple mats in the street, placed a container into the bucket, and when he pulled it back out, the bucket was instantly filled to the top with rice, which he poured out onto ...