China's great classic novel Outlaws of the Marsh, written in the fourteenth century, is a fictional account of twelfth-century events during the Song Dynasty. One by one, over a hundred men and women are forced by the harsh feudal officialdom to take to the hills. They band together and defeat every attempt of the government troops to crush them. Within this framework we find intrigue, adventure, murder, warfare, romance ... in a connected series of fascinating individual tales, told in the suspenseful manner of the traditional storyteller. --------------- The Patriotic and Righteous Outlaws of the Marsh is in one hundred chapters. Originally written by Shi Nai'an of Qiantang, and arranged by Luo Guanzhong. Luo Guanzhong, a native of Taiyuan, styled 'Wanderer of the Lakes and Seas.'He was solitary by nature, a writer of ballads and in esoteric language, which are original and fresh. Shidney Shapiro was born in New York, USA, in 1915. In 1937 he graduated from the Faculty of Law at St. John's University, and began to practice as a lawyer. During the World War II he was recruited into the army, and later studied Chinese at Columbia University and Yale University. He came to China in April 1947, and in 1948 he married the Chinese writer Feng Fengzi (Phoenix). From 1952, Shapiro worked as an English-language speicalist at the magazine Chinese Literature, and later at China Pictorial. He took Chinese citizenship in 1963, and was a member of the sixth, seventh and eighth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He has translated Yuan Jing's Daughters and Sons, Ba Jin's Family, Mao Dun's Spring Silkworms, Qu Bo's Tracks in the Snowy Forest, Du Pengcheng's Defend Yan'an and Liu Qing's Builders of a New Life. Shapiro has also authored some books, including An American in China, My China, The law and lore of China: Criminal Justice, A Sampler of Chinese Literature- from the Ming Dynasty to Mao Zedong, Jews in Old China: Studies by Chinese Scholars and Ma Haide- Saga of an American Doctor George Hatem.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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Text: Chinese
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
CLASSIC NOVEL IN THREE VOLUMES
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Grand Opening into Ancient Chinese Sagas,
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This review is from: Outlaws of the Marsh (Chinese Classics, Classic Novel in 4 Volumes) (Paperback)
If you read one saga in your life, you would die happy having read Outlaws of the Marsh. This is a particularly good translation and edition in that they take perhaps eight or ten different versions of this story and pack it all together in one bit so you get more quality tale for the buck. Mr. Shapiro even discusses the differences between several of the versions in the beginning of the book.
The saga takes you through a few decades of this roaming band of Chinese warriors in a land of corruption and evil. Though they are no angels themselves (in fact they are demons on Earth), they fight together for loyalty and honor in the name of the Emperor during the Song dynasty. The descriptions of the battles are vivid and enthralling, and the window into the culture of that time is truly something to cherish. An ancient story such as this is not something to be taken lightly, though it has plenty of humor, sorrow, and action to captivate the attention of all ages. Characters such as Sagacious Lu, Stumpy Tiger Wang, and Liu Kui the Blackwhirlwind, will forever be a part of you in your travels. Chairman Mao, himself, actually carried this book with him during the Long March in China as a constant reminder of the proud traditions of the Chinese people. [Revised Edit] From reading some of the other reviews, I think I've come to a realization. For readers, Outlaws of the Marsh and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are a little bit like 1984 and Brave New World. Hear me out, doubters. If you read Brave New World first, you tend to have a pretty strong dislike for 1984, and vice versa. Those who've read Romance of the Three Kingdoms may pick up Outlaws of the Marsh expecting something similar in style. If that's what they're after, they'll be disappointed. I however read 1984 first, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh. Therefore, I couldn't even stand to finish Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Like it or not, Outlaws of the Marsh is truly one of a kind. You'll likely finish it like I did, wanting even more, but realizing that you've just eaten the very last Twinkie on the planet. Except here, you can just go back and reread it all over again.
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Riveting Tale that has Endured the Centuries,
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This review is from: Outlaws of the Marsh (Chinese Classics, Classic Novel in 4 Volumes) (Paperback)
"Outlaws of the Marsh" provides a fascinating look into 14th century Chinese literature- and thus the minds of 14th century Chinese the story was intended to entertain. The story was extremely popular in its day, for many of the same reasons that it endures as a stunning example of Chinese story telling today. An excellent example of 14th century Chinese vernacular literature, "Outlaws of the Marsh" has been a favorite of Chinese readers for over 600 years. This riveting story has endured the centuries for a very good reason. It contains elements that captivate even today's jaded audiences: deception, violence, murder, gangs, and drunken revelry. Rife with charismatic heroes, scheming beauties, wild troublemakers and corrupt officials, the story brims with interesting characters and plot twists. The outlaws of Liangshan Marsh, societal outcasts drawn together by their misdeeds, form an almost super-human collective against the unjust (sort of like a precursor to Robin Hood). The story is peopled with rash, violent men; lusty, evil-minded beauties; upstanding men of honor fighting for what is right; well-meaning yet dangerous oafs; and corrupt, tyrannical officials. This tale of Song Jiang, Wu Song, and the rest of the "outlaws" will keep you on the edge of your seat.
74 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the translation!!!!,
This review is from: Outlaws of the Marsh (Chinese Classics, Classic Novel in 4 Volumes) (Paperback)
Am I the only person who loves these books and thinks they're absolutely hilarious because of the Sidney Shapiro translation? I feel very shallow, because the stories and characters are certainly fascinating, but I get an enormous kick out of such lines as this:"Frigging monkeyshines! Who says I have any Right Honorable XImen in there!" And the fact that they keep saying things like, "I don't give a tooting fart!" I apologize for this not-very-intellectual assessment of the books, but they kept me laughing out loud and reading choice passages to people. I love them!!!
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