Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640 - 1715) are exquisite and amusing miniatures that are regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fiction. With their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection 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.

Pu Songling (1640-û1715) was one of the most celebrated Chinese writers from the Qing dynasty.

John Minford is dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at the Open University of Hong Kong. He has published widely on Chinese literature and translated numerous works, including the Penguin Classics edition of Sun-tzu-'s The Art of War.