Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

With their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection from The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640-1715) reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems. Here a Taoist monk conjures up a magical pear tree, a scholar recounts his previous incarnations, a woman out-foxes the fox-spirit that possesses her, a child bride gives birth to a thimble-sized baby, a ghostly city appears out of nowhere and a heartless daughter-in-law is turned into a pig. In his tales of humans coupling with shape-shifting spirits, bizarre phenomena, haunted buildings and enchanted objects, Pu Songling pushes back the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains.

John Minford’s superb translation captures the consummate skill and understated humour of the Strange Tales, while his introduction discusses Pu Songling’s sources, literary style and discreet eroticism, and his depiction of spirits and the supernatural. This edition also includes illustrations, further reading, a glossary and notes.