Modern Liaozhai (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Yu Shaolei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: As everyone knows, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi) is a collection of classical Chinese short stories written by Pu Songling during the Qing Dynasty. It includes nearly 500 works, such as legends, supernatural tales, and anecdotes, covering various styles and is considered the pinnacle of classical Chinese prose fiction. The book depicts a world of flower spirits, ghosts, and fox demons, expressing both dissatisfaction with the dark social reality of the time and frustration over unfulfilled talent and difficult political advancement. It criticizes corrupt officials who conspire together while praising brave commoners who dare to rebel and seek revenge. Among the works, the most numerous, high-quality, and beautifully written are those that portray pure love between humans and fox spirits, ghosts, gods, and among humans themselves. The stories in the book are full of fantastical and intricate plots, with vividly unique portrayals of supernatural beings. Though written in classical Chinese, the prose is concise yet highly expressive and vivid. For three centuries, the stories of Liaozhai have been widely spread in folk culture and remain enduringly popular. They have been translated into over a dozen languages, becoming a shared spiritual treasure of people around the world. This book retells many of these legendary, supernatural, and anecdotal tales in modern storytelling form.