Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 6The 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 sixth of 6 volumes. |
From inside the book
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... happened to be traveling in Jinling on business just as the chrysanthemums reached their mature flowering. One morning he passed a flower shop, where he saw pots arranged meticulously in a large display of wondrously attractive flowers ...
... happened to be passing by Ma's house, so Ma sent Tao out to invite him in to drink with them. In absolute accord, Zeng and Tao gleefully drank uninhibitedly, and Ma was sorry that they hadn't met earlier. From morning until the fourth ...
... happened to be reading when suddenly a mighty gust of wind blew away his book. He quickly chased after it, and as he was walking, his foot sank into a soft spot in the ground there; when he bent to find out what it was, he discovered ...
... happened to catch a glimpse of Yan Ruyu were, without exception, astonished by her appearance, and since they hadn't heard what family Lang had married into, they went as a group to find out from him. Lang couldn't bring himself to lie ...
... happened to be wandering out in the countryside when suddenly a man dressed in cheap clothing came up to him and cried, “Master, what's troubling you?” Sheng was preoccupied with his family's hardships, so he decided to tell the man ...