Pu Sung-Ling - I racconti fantastici di Liao - 1955-1955

P' U SUNG - LING
Liao's fantastic stories
Mondadori 1955
Illustrated hardcover, bound in silk, with gold embossing on the spine, in a plexiglass case. Pages intact with color illustrations, volumes in excellent condition, with a plastic-coated box that is slightly yellowed and scratched.
1903 pages

'The Fantastic Tales of Liao' (or more correctly, 'The Fantastic Tales of Liao's Studio') is the renowned collection of supernatural and folkloric stories by the Chinese Pu Songling (17th-18th century), an encyclopedia of Chinese narrative that blends reality and dream, populated by spirits, fairy foxes, ghosts, and immortals, influencing world literature with stories rich in magic, humor, social critique, and the merging of the human world with the supernatural.


The Fantastic Tales of Liao, the masterpiece by P’u Sung-ling, stands out as a gem of classical Chinese literature, skillfully weaving mythology, oral tradition, and incisive social critique into a vibrant narrative fabric. The work deftly navigates between the supernatural and reality, reflecting folkloric traditions and social and human dynamics. P’u Sung-ling offers us a kaleidoscope of life, where the everyday merges with the extraordinary, and mythological creatures meet humanity, revealing the depths of human nature. Each story is an intimate journey into human passions and fears, elevating The Fantastic Tales of Liao to a profound anthropological study. This work transports readers to a world where the boundary between real and imaginary blurs, using the fantastic as a lens to explore life's contradictions. With its elegant prose and captivating plots, P’u Sung-ling invites reflection on the complexity of human existence, positioning The Fantastic Tales of Liao among the great classics of world literature.