Hommes, Bêtes Et Démons

by Qian Zhongshu

Œuvres de jeunesse mais riches épures du grand roman La forteresse assiégée, les quatre nouvelles de ce recueil sont un parfait exemple de ce qu'on pourrait appeler l'"autre" style de Qian : aux antipodes de l'érudition de son monumental Le Bambou et le Poinçon.Ici, tout est aplati (ping), dépouillé (xian) et distant (yuan) à souhait, comme le trait de pinceau dans la peinture Song, pour cerner la médiocrité d'un univers d'êtres humains falots ou d'intellectuels acculturés par l'Occident. L'abandon des héros altiers et des cimes abruptes renforce par contraste les nuances du coloris, et notamment du coloris psychologique comme chez Proust ou chez Flaubert, que Qian connaît bien.Petite "comédie humaine" dans la Chine des années trente, la force originale de ces nouvelles réside dans le contraste entre la platitude savamment entretenue du style ou des personnages et l'explosion instauratrice d'un surréel adamantin, allumée par une dérisoire étincelle.

Genres: China, Short Stories, Essays, Fiction, Classics, Literature

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Qian Zhongshu (Chinese name: 錢鍾書 / 钱钟书) (November 21, 1910 – December 19, 1998) was a Chinese literary scholar and writer, known for his wit and erudition.

He is best known for his satirical novel Fortress Besieged. His works of non-fiction are characterised by their large amount of quotations in both Chinese and Western languages (including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Latin). He also played an important role in digitizing Chinese classics late in his life.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The works of Mr. Qian can normally catch attention on the resemblance between characters from stories and influential intellectuals in real world. But to my perception, this is not the major merit of Mr. Qian's literature. His ironic tone could be a brief but severe reminder for intellectuals nowadays, which urges a serious reflection on our actual performance.
In this collection, The Cat, should win an endless applause.

[Charlie Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been really interested in Qian Zhongshu, partly because his international approach is idiosyncratic, ironic, and not easily imitable. He's also arguably one of the first Chinese post-modern novelists, although he himself would probably disavow that label.

So what do we have? With this volume of his collected short stories and essays we get hints of Montaigne, Lao She, and even maybe Maupassant, except taken in by a wide view of interlacing complications. Allusions to ancient Chinese stories (the Dream of the Red Chamber is a favorite) along with Western poetics and rhetoric, a startling wit that often makes one laugh out loud, and a forceful yet fanciful storytelling makes all of these pieces really fantastic. Zhongshu's erudition is unique in both its' humor and ability to pierce through both human psychology and cultural significance. Love this dude.

[Chunji Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

不管是讽刺还是描写情感，钱锺书先生的文字总像泉水浇在心头。好久没读中文，有回归的感觉。

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

简直是文学界的诸葛连弩。

[Emily Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

老辣

[Walkerlsts · Rating 4 out of 5]

钱老可把幽默给看住了

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

秉承了钱钟书先生一贯的写作风格与文笔：讥讽诙谐、脸谱人物、玩世不恭。也许是因为我实在是不喜欢这样的文笔，也难能剔除文笔来分享文章了。

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

太幽默了

[Gwen Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

The key element of a masterpiece is that it often transcends through time and stays relevant whenever you read it. When one read though this book and read through the characters in it, one can see oneself in them.

[Wim_2019 · Rating 5 out of 5]

3个短篇小故事构成本书：

[Dylan Suher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be reviewing this? So we'll see...