Vignettes from the Late Ming: A Hsiao-P'in Anthology

Rating:
Summary: good translation; exc. introduction to late Ming culture
Review: Despite several unfortunate English constructions (which are perfectly understandable) and several editorial mishaps (the most interesting of which is an allusion to "Ernest Hemingway's page-long sentences"), this book is excellent. The quality of the writers featured varies -- Zhang Dai and Li Liufang come across as fascinating, Tu Long and Tan Yuanchun come across as somewhat dull -- but all in all it is a good, light read appropriate for the summer. One wishes that someone (perhaps Yang Ye himself) would translate some of Zhang Dai's books in full: Dream Memories of Tao'an and Searching for West Lake in Dreams seem in particular to merit more careful attention in the West. If any such complete translations do exist, I would very much appreciate someone letting me know where I might obtain them.

Rating:
Summary: good translation; exc. introduction to late Ming culture
Review: Despite several unfortunate English constructions (which are perfectly understandable) and several editorial mishaps (the most interesting of which is an allusion to "Ernest Hemingway's page-long sentences"), this book is excellent. The quality of the writers featured varies -- Zhang Dai and Li Liufang come across as fascinating, Tu Long and Tan Yuanchun come across as somewhat dull -- but all in all it is a good, light read appropriate for the summer. One wishes that someone (perhaps Yang Ye himself) would translate some of Zhang Dai's books in full: Dream Memories of Tao'an and Searching for West Lake in Dreams seem in particular to merit more careful attention in the West. If any such complete translations do exist, I would very much appreciate someone letting me know where I might obtain them.