Books by Qian Zhongshu
“The novel follows Fang Hongjian, a young Chinese intellectual returning from Europe with a fake PhD, who stumbles into a farcical marriage and a disastrous university job. The famous metaphor in the title says it all: “Marriage is like a fortress besieged — those outside want to get in, and those inside want to get out.” It’s funny, poignant and ruthlessly observant.”” Read more...
The Best 20th Century Chinese Fiction Books
Lijia Zhang, Memoirist
Interviews where books by Qian Zhongshu were recommended
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1
The Real Story of Ah-Q
by Lu Xun & translated by Julia Lovell -
2
Fortress Besieged
by Qian Zhongshu & translated by Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao -
3
Red Sorghum
by Mo Yan & translated by Howard Goldblatt -
4
To Live
Yu Hua, translated by Michael Berry -
5
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie & translated by Ina Rilke
The Best 20th Century Chinese Fiction Books, recommended by Lijia Zhang
The Best 20th Century Chinese Fiction Books, recommended by Lijia Zhang
While rooted in specific Chinese contexts, these books transcend cultural boundaries and speak to universal questions about dignity, freedom, identity, and the longing to be seen, says novelist and writer Lijia Zhang. She talks us through five of the best works of fiction to come out of mainland China in the twentieth century.
