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Blades of Grass: The Stories of Lao She
"If you want to write good short stories," Lao She once observed, "you have to give it everything you’ve got. The world will allow the existence of a very imperfect novel, but it won’t be that polite with a short story. Art, after all, is not like a pig―the fatter the better."
Lao She’s stories proved to be very good indeed, moving and delighting readers for many years and establishing him as a master of classic modern fiction. Thankfully we now have access to a rich collection of his short stories in superb English translations. These stories showcase the varied facets of Lao She’s impressive talent and draw us effortlessly into his world-and we emerge the better for it.
This is a writer eternally immersed in and fascinated by the kaleidoscope of humankind. The stories are characterized by humor and by intensely sympathetic explorations of human relationships. Some of them are unsettling. Many are poignant. Most of them make us laugh. All evoke the color and energy of life, for Lao She is also a connoisseur of the everyday with a keen appreciation of the concrete detail.
A plate of steaming dumplings, the gleam of gold-capped front teeth, rickshaws dragging along alleys, punishing winter winds, rolls of bright silk, a pair of chopsticks―these things are the stuff of Lao She’s fiction and the essence of his metaphors, and he cherishes such little details of life more than the abstractions of politics or philosophy.
Lao She’s stories proved to be very good indeed, moving and delighting readers for many years and establishing him as a master of classic modern fiction. Thankfully we now have access to a rich collection of his short stories in superb English translations. These stories showcase the varied facets of Lao She’s impressive talent and draw us effortlessly into his world-and we emerge the better for it.
This is a writer eternally immersed in and fascinated by the kaleidoscope of humankind. The stories are characterized by humor and by intensely sympathetic explorations of human relationships. Some of them are unsettling. Many are poignant. Most of them make us laugh. All evoke the color and energy of life, for Lao She is also a connoisseur of the everyday with a keen appreciation of the concrete detail.
A plate of steaming dumplings, the gleam of gold-capped front teeth, rickshaws dragging along alleys, punishing winter winds, rolls of bright silk, a pair of chopsticks―these things are the stuff of Lao She’s fiction and the essence of his metaphors, and he cherishes such little details of life more than the abstractions of politics or philosophy.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Lao She
800 books124 followersLao She (Chinese: 老舍; pinyin: Lǎo Shě; Wade–Giles: Lao She; February 3, 1899 – August 24, 1966) was the pen name of Shu Qingchun (simplified Chinese: 舒庆春; traditional Chinese: 舒慶春; pinyin: Shū Qìngchūn; Manchu surname: Sumuru), a noted Chinese novelist and dramatist. He was one of the most significant figures of 20th-century Chinese literature, and best known for his novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse (茶館). He was of Manchu ethnicity. His works are known especially for their vivid use of the Beijing dialect.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 10, 2017
This is a collection of 14 short stories by Lao She. I didn't care for the first 3 stories, so I didn't think I would like this collection, but there were several that I really liked as I continued reading, so overall, I can say that I liked this book. My favorite short stories in Blades of Grass were "An Old Man's Romance," "Life Choices," "Neighbors," "Crooktails," and "Attachment."
I think you can probably describe all of these stories as brief glimpses into the lives of ordinary Chinese people. The stories are more about the people than about any particular events, so there is not much plot or action. The best of these stories are well told with characters who are interesting enough to keep you engaged throughout.
In terms of my usual literary preferences, Blades of Grass isn't really my cup of tea, and I don't think I will seek out any of Lao She's other works, but it was interesting to read stories from a very different place and culture, China in the the 1920s and 1930s, and I did find several of the stories very enjoyable.
I think you can probably describe all of these stories as brief glimpses into the lives of ordinary Chinese people. The stories are more about the people than about any particular events, so there is not much plot or action. The best of these stories are well told with characters who are interesting enough to keep you engaged throughout.
In terms of my usual literary preferences, Blades of Grass isn't really my cup of tea, and I don't think I will seek out any of Lao She's other works, but it was interesting to read stories from a very different place and culture, China in the the 1920s and 1930s, and I did find several of the stories very enjoyable.
September 24, 2018
Lao She ‘Blades of Grass’
'If you want to write good short stories you have to give it everything you’ve got.'
Lao She, penname of Shu Qingchun was born to a Manchu family in Beijing in 1899 as one of eight children. His early education was arranged by a rich uncle, how entered his nephew in an old-style private school when the boy was nine. Immediately after his graduation in 1918 he was appointed principal of a primary school.
In 1922 he became a Christian and took up classes in English. From 1924 until 1930 he was to teach Chinese classics and Mandarin at London University. In London he widely improved his knowledge of English Literature, it was there that he also wrote his first novel ‘The philosophy of Lao Zang’ Like his contemporary Lu Xun het wrote in modern Chinese.
Back in China he got married in 1932 to Hu Jieqing in 1932 and teaches at different universities. Between 1946 and 1949 he spent two years in the United States as part of an exchange program. Returning in 1949 after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. There his literary work was largely judged as unacceptable alto he was also honoured with the title of ‘People’s Artist’. In the 1960 there were increasing sings the he was in trouble and in1966 the Red Guards accused him of being anti-Mao, anti-Party and anti-People. On 23 August 1966 Lao She was harangued and beaten until he lost consciousness. When he left his home the next morning, that was the last time his family was him alive. The official reading is that he drowned himself.
From 1976 (after the death of Chairman Mao and the fall of the Gang of Four) Lao She’s work began to regain some form of recognition. In 1978 his name was posthumously cleared of all charges and he got an official funeral.
Perhaps it is interesting to compare the contemporary writers Lu Xun and Lao She.
To start with, they both write in the modern Chinese language and were among the first authors to do so. But were Lu Xun uses people (the characters in his novels) to illustrate his ideas, Lao She has a sincere interest in ordinary people and tells stories about them. Unlike Lu Xun he is not trying to teach his reads anything, Lao She has a story or anecdote to tell, there are political and nationalistic overtones, but the focus is on the particular individual, which leaves much more space for nuances for the grey tones between black and white.
Lao She has an unusual bread knowledge of the contemporary Chinese society and the themes of his stories are correspondingly wide ranging. But it is his view on human nature, his humour and bittersweet nostalgia that makes them almost a hundred years later still interesting and enjoyable stories to read.
'If you want to write good short stories you have to give it everything you’ve got.'
Lao She, penname of Shu Qingchun was born to a Manchu family in Beijing in 1899 as one of eight children. His early education was arranged by a rich uncle, how entered his nephew in an old-style private school when the boy was nine. Immediately after his graduation in 1918 he was appointed principal of a primary school.
In 1922 he became a Christian and took up classes in English. From 1924 until 1930 he was to teach Chinese classics and Mandarin at London University. In London he widely improved his knowledge of English Literature, it was there that he also wrote his first novel ‘The philosophy of Lao Zang’ Like his contemporary Lu Xun het wrote in modern Chinese.
Back in China he got married in 1932 to Hu Jieqing in 1932 and teaches at different universities. Between 1946 and 1949 he spent two years in the United States as part of an exchange program. Returning in 1949 after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. There his literary work was largely judged as unacceptable alto he was also honoured with the title of ‘People’s Artist’. In the 1960 there were increasing sings the he was in trouble and in1966 the Red Guards accused him of being anti-Mao, anti-Party and anti-People. On 23 August 1966 Lao She was harangued and beaten until he lost consciousness. When he left his home the next morning, that was the last time his family was him alive. The official reading is that he drowned himself.
From 1976 (after the death of Chairman Mao and the fall of the Gang of Four) Lao She’s work began to regain some form of recognition. In 1978 his name was posthumously cleared of all charges and he got an official funeral.
Perhaps it is interesting to compare the contemporary writers Lu Xun and Lao She.
To start with, they both write in the modern Chinese language and were among the first authors to do so. But were Lu Xun uses people (the characters in his novels) to illustrate his ideas, Lao She has a sincere interest in ordinary people and tells stories about them. Unlike Lu Xun he is not trying to teach his reads anything, Lao She has a story or anecdote to tell, there are political and nationalistic overtones, but the focus is on the particular individual, which leaves much more space for nuances for the grey tones between black and white.
Lao She has an unusual bread knowledge of the contemporary Chinese society and the themes of his stories are correspondingly wide ranging. But it is his view on human nature, his humour and bittersweet nostalgia that makes them almost a hundred years later still interesting and enjoyable stories to read.
February 22, 2018
Dark but humorous collection of short stories describing life in pre-revolutionary China.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews