![]() He died in 1715, leaving behind almost 500 accounts of the wondrous, eerie and grotesque, some derived from oral narratives. Though several English versions exist, I focused on John Minford’s Penguin selection of 104 stories, in part because of its scholarly introduction and abundant endnotes, most of which incorporate some of Pu Songling’s own commentary on his work.īorn in 1640, Pu Songling worked at various clerical jobs in the province of Shandong, in northern China. “Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio” will last you the entire month. 5 but have already launched and will continue until Feb. The festivities for the Year of the Pig officially begin on Feb. ![]() ![]() More often though, Pu Songling’s “Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio” calls to mind a collection of mildly racy club stories or lost episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Some very short vignettes even approximate our own urban legends or items from “News of the Weird.” Just now, though, reading this beloved classic provides a particularly enjoyable way to help celebrate Chinese New Year. Sometimes the mood is one of enchantment and melancholy, of moonlit evenings when soft rain mists the windows and memories lie heavy on the heart. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio Photo: Penguin, Handout / Handout ![]()
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