Origins of Chinese Classical Literature by Li Xiaoxiang

Origins of Chinese Classical Literature Reviews

• 
  Vishy

  There is a beautiful publisher in Singapore called Asiapac Books. They publish Chinese classics and books on Chinese history and culture in comic / graphic novel form. Their magnum opus is their 10-volume graphic novel adaptation of 'Three Kingdoms'. When I first discovered Asiapac Books, I was very excited and got a number of their books. One of the books I got was this one, 'Gateway to Chinese Classical Literature'. I thought I'll read this today.
  
  This book gives a beautiful overview of Chinese literature from the earliest times to the beginning of the 20th century. It features all the major poets, philosophers, historians, novelists, playwrights and gives a brief biography of them, describes an anecdote from their lives and shares excerpts from their work, either in text or in comic form. The book is just 158 pages long and it looks deceptively like a regular comic, but reading the book is like dipping into an infinite well, as it covers more than 3000 years of Chinese literary history. All my favourite Chinese poets – Li Bai, Bai Juyi, Wang Wei, Du Fu, Tao Yuanming – are featured here. So are Sima Qian, the grand historian, and Zhuangzi, he of the butterfly dream fame. The Tang Dynasty gets good detailed coverage – it is the longest chapter in the book. All the four major Chinese prose epics are featured in detail with excerpts from them. I was thinking that the fifth epic, the-book-that-shall-not-be-named, (also called 'Jing Ping Mei') would be ignored, but even that got a mention. Many of the minor epics like 'The Scholars' and 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio', were featured, and I was surprised that even 'Seven Heroes and Five Gallants' got a mention.
  
  As you can see, the book is packed with information. It is hard for me to imagine how the authors managed to squeeze in so much content in so few pages.
  
  I loved 'Gateway to Chinese Classical Literature'. If you are looking for an introduction to Chinese literature, this is a great place to start.
  
  Have you read this book? Do you like reading literary history or nonfiction in comic form?
• 
  Abdullah Hussaini

  Sangat bermaklumat.
• 
  Indah Threez Lestari

  743 - 2013