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/lit/ - Literature

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2631370 No.2631370 [Reply] [Original]

Going back to China for the month of June, does /lit/ know any untranslated Chinese novels, essays or even short stories with beautiful prose?

>> No.2631484

Anyone?

>> No.2631533

You could try the four great novels.

Speaking of those, what is the best translation of Journey to the West? I know there is a new edition comin out later this year that's supposed to be pretty good.

>> No.2631599

>>2631533
I've read three of them, leaving the Red Chamber alone because I've heard it's boring as fuck.
Haven't read the translated versions though.

The prose structure in the four greats are not what I'm looking for.

>> No.2631615

Li Bai mother fucker. That guy will plow your mind.

>> No.2631620

>>2631615
Prose man, prose.
And I've read a bit of his poetry. Nostalgia material.

>> No.2632694

>>2631370
Last bump of the night

>> No.2632736

>>2632694
Don't think my Chinese is good enough to really judge, but Zhang Ailing seems to have some wicked prose going on. 封锁 is the one I read.

>> No.2632745

>>2632736
I assume it's been translated though. By 'untranslated' do you mean 'never been translated', or just that you want to read the original?

>> No.2632751

>>2632745
Original.
Thanks, I'll check her out again, have been a while since I read her.

>> No.2632760

>>2631615
>plow your mind
If this isn't a thing, I think it should be. So much more productive than just blowing your mind.

>> No.2632780

>>2632751
I do wonder about the classic Republican period writers. Again, I haven't got a natural enough 'feel' to really judge, but it seems logical that many of them would have trouble producing something really 'beautiful' given that they were promoting a slightly artificial new vernacular- plus it was supposed to appeal to a broader audience, which might encourage simplicity at the expense of beauty. On the other hand, maybe the fact that it wasn't really fixed gave them a certain freedom.

Maaaaan, I need to read more Chinese so I can get a handle on that feel.

>> No.2632792

Oh, and without having read it at all I assume Soul Mountain (灵山) is good shit in an experimental kind of way. Nobel Prize, mofos.

>> No.2632826

Alright thanks for all the recommendations everybody.

The last anthology of any sort I read in Chinese was an issue of 儿童文学 (Children's literature) back in 2003. and I have to say, Chinese's young adult/children fictions/short stories are the best ones I've read during my childhood.

Example:
http://lz.book.sohu.com/serialize-id-5354.html

>> No.2632832

Random short story I'm reading:
http://www.douban.com/group/topic/2378472/
It's the original story that was adapted into the excellent film 太阳照常升起 (The Sun Also Rises, but all it steals from Hemingway is the title). Hell of a movie, and the story's good so far and apparently completely different from the film it inspired.

>> No.2633529

Bump

>> No.2634482

Last bump before letting this thread 404

>> No.2634491

I've only read a translation but 'the butterfly' by Wang meng is meant to be really beautiful and influential. Writes about disillusionment within the communist system.

>> No.2634498

'Beijing Coma' by Ma Jian is powerful stuff.

>> No.2634528

i hate how the only chinese shit that gets translated to english is mao bashing crap that whines about the cultural revolution, the cold war is over assholes i'm sick of reading this crap, translate something relevant. it's like authors know if they want their book to be a success in america they have to put some parts in it that bash communism or whatever, fuck that shit.

>> No.2634545 [SPOILER] 
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2634545

>>2634528

>> No.2634630

Have you tried the wuxia shit OP?

>> No.2634692

/lit/, I love you. You actually held a conversation on reading shit in Chinese. I go to a fucking top 10. university and they can't do that. Here's to you >toasts<.

>> No.2634714

Can I discuss translated to English works ITT instead of making my own.

All I've read so far is both volumes of 'Romance of the three kingdoms'. What's a good place to go from there.

>> No.2635429

>>2634545
>legitimate criticism
>anger

Pick one boyo

>> No.2635433

>>2634528
>implying maoism can be equated to "communism" as a whole
State communism was a failure, sure, but Mao was like the George W. Bush of communism. Even if it was workable, he was a colossal failure.