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How Wang-Fo Was Saved
In her story, inspired by a Chinese legend, with a master painter as the main protagonist, Marguerite Yourcenar is posing fundamental questions about humanity and art in a simple, yet striking manner. Searching for the aesthetic pleasure the perfect master Wang-Fo discards the material world and its acclaim. However, an encounter with the Emperor reminds him that works of art are always about the world and part of the world – even if they eventually succeed in becoming a world in their own right and a sort of sanctuary.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1936
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About the author
Marguerite Yourcenar
173 books1,662 followersMarguerite Yourcenar, original name Marguerite de Crayencour, was a french novelist, essayist, poet and short-story writer who became the first woman to be elected to the Académie Française (French Academy), an exclusive literary institution with a membership limited to 40.
She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1947. The name “Yourcenar” is an imperfect anagram of her original name, “Crayencour.”
Yourcenar’s literary works are notable for their rigorously classical style, their erudition, and their psychological subtlety. In her most important books she re-creates past eras and personages, meditating thereby on human destiny, morality, and power. Her masterpiece is Mémoires d'Hadrien, a historical novel constituting the fictionalized memoirs of that 2nd-century Roman emperor. Her works were translated by the American Grace Frick, Yourcenar’s secretary and life companion.
Yourcenar was also a literary critic and translator.
She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1947. The name “Yourcenar” is an imperfect anagram of her original name, “Crayencour.”
Yourcenar’s literary works are notable for their rigorously classical style, their erudition, and their psychological subtlety. In her most important books she re-creates past eras and personages, meditating thereby on human destiny, morality, and power. Her masterpiece is Mémoires d'Hadrien, a historical novel constituting the fictionalized memoirs of that 2nd-century Roman emperor. Her works were translated by the American Grace Frick, Yourcenar’s secretary and life companion.
Yourcenar was also a literary critic and translator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 21, 2024
Art- our saviour or tormentor?
What do we mean by beauty, in art or in general for that matter? I guess it is something (which may be an object or experience) which triggers our senses in a way that we find a pleasure, second to none, on coming across that thing. The question now arises is that how do our senses work- how do you realize that a particular thing or experience is beautiful or not, which essentially means to ascertain the way our senses work. Do we have any innate knowledge of beauty and we compare our experiences or objects, we come across, to qualify them as sheer beauties? Or do we compare the things or experiences we come across in our lives which references we might have accumulated in our sensory consciousness over the period of time, which in turn implies that our notion of beauty may be changing as we move in our lives and which also implies that we may not have any awareness and conviction when we take birth as our memories may not get accustomed to the worldly treasures of our lives. But it poses an intriguing dilemma which is that we must be having certain presumption and impression about idea of beauty itself so as to trigger the process itself to categorize things as per (seemingly) merits.
There is another exciting conundrum which springs up from obscurity when we actively manoeuvre our senses to critically examine the concept of beauty and more importantly the process of classify things as beautiful or not, the question is that what if our notion of beauty is too much for reality we live in and which engulfs our senses. Is it really possible to have things or experience which may put our real world to shame because haven’t agreed on the point that we accumulate our experiences as we live on and thereby assimilate them to qualify towards threshold of beauty but doesn’t essentially mean that our notion of beauty should not be different (or much more) than the real world we live in?
link: source
I guess here comes the importance of our power of imagination which enables us to create things or experiences which may be beyond our earthly pleasures we found in our real world and that’s art takes birth- our experiences in life with our inherent ability of imagination produce art. As we say, art is expression of our thoughts, emotions, our intuitions, desires, hope or disappointments for that matter, of course in a very personalize way; I guess it is essentially about expressing the way we perceive and experience the world. It is always easy to communicate what we experience about world or they we discern it since words or our bodily expressions may not be enough to convey them and perhaps that is where art takes birth, and we use art to express ourselves the way we can’t through conventional our modes. So, where we place literature- is it art or not, well, the answer is not so easy and can’t be simply given through binaries as it depends on its quality too, hence it may be an art.
This brings us to contemplate upon a fascinating aesthetic problem of art, the problem is how dos we tackle the issue that our real world often fails to match the beauty we find in our artistic expeditions. It also forces us to meditate and ponder upon dilemma that whether we should produce art which is too much to handle for our real world. It is often said that the highest form of art is one which infuses life in the artistic compositions so as make them real worlds themselves. Now the question arises that whether art is our saviour or destroyer. On prima facie, it may appear to even the most casual eyes that art is our saviour, for it helps us to express our desires, happiness, regrets, our existential anguish and thereby saving us from getting insane. The pleasure we seek and obtain from art also helps us to overcome the disappoint of our real world and thereby providing us sensory pleasure which is beyond our earthly universe. We have often seen that art provides us the solidarity and hope to brave through the most treacherous realities of our lives such death, it enables us to overcome our sadness and melancholy of life by expressing through itself and thereby acts as an equalizer in our lives. So, we may say that art acts us a saviour for us as it helps us to brave our existential ordeal.
link: source
But are there any dangers too associated with art. Could it possible that art shuts the door of real world on us, for what is to be find in our silly reality after savouring the delights of our art which satiates our sensory hunger beyond the very capability of our limited and inadequate reality. There is a possibility (though remote it may appear upon casual pondering) that art may deceive us and in fact, makes us fail to understand and thereby accept the limitations of our real world. And how do we find the courage to live on then after realizing that our reality is too limited. Could we say that, in a way art may hallucinate us about our perception of reality and thereby muddling with our ability to accept the real world which in turn, may throw us in an existential crisis. The power of rationalization which enabled us to evolve into ourselves over the years, may become numb to discern our reality and thereby to accept our real world as it is.
Our ordinary world is beautiful, to say it generally, we have so inspiration in our lives to ascertain our notion about beauty of our real world. In fact, we invariably take inspiration from the nature itself to produce the great works of art, we use our capacity to imagine to build upon those inspirations and create artistic creations which are too beautiful for our real world. But such creations may be used by us to understand our reality in a better manner by embracing it and thereby also to improve our world through using these products of our talent and imagination, as we have done over the years in our history. The story poses the problems related with art in a very aesthetic manner and thereby stimulate us to question the concept of beauty and truth. The short story ends, with epitome that how can art acts as our saviour, with treatment of fantastical nature. It was the first time I read the author and I thoroughly enjoyed.
link: source
What do we mean by beauty, in art or in general for that matter? I guess it is something (which may be an object or experience) which triggers our senses in a way that we find a pleasure, second to none, on coming across that thing. The question now arises is that how do our senses work- how do you realize that a particular thing or experience is beautiful or not, which essentially means to ascertain the way our senses work. Do we have any innate knowledge of beauty and we compare our experiences or objects, we come across, to qualify them as sheer beauties? Or do we compare the things or experiences we come across in our lives which references we might have accumulated in our sensory consciousness over the period of time, which in turn implies that our notion of beauty may be changing as we move in our lives and which also implies that we may not have any awareness and conviction when we take birth as our memories may not get accustomed to the worldly treasures of our lives. But it poses an intriguing dilemma which is that we must be having certain presumption and impression about idea of beauty itself so as to trigger the process itself to categorize things as per (seemingly) merits.
There is another exciting conundrum which springs up from obscurity when we actively manoeuvre our senses to critically examine the concept of beauty and more importantly the process of classify things as beautiful or not, the question is that what if our notion of beauty is too much for reality we live in and which engulfs our senses. Is it really possible to have things or experience which may put our real world to shame because haven’t agreed on the point that we accumulate our experiences as we live on and thereby assimilate them to qualify towards threshold of beauty but doesn’t essentially mean that our notion of beauty should not be different (or much more) than the real world we live in?
link: source
I guess here comes the importance of our power of imagination which enables us to create things or experiences which may be beyond our earthly pleasures we found in our real world and that’s art takes birth- our experiences in life with our inherent ability of imagination produce art. As we say, art is expression of our thoughts, emotions, our intuitions, desires, hope or disappointments for that matter, of course in a very personalize way; I guess it is essentially about expressing the way we perceive and experience the world. It is always easy to communicate what we experience about world or they we discern it since words or our bodily expressions may not be enough to convey them and perhaps that is where art takes birth, and we use art to express ourselves the way we can’t through conventional our modes. So, where we place literature- is it art or not, well, the answer is not so easy and can’t be simply given through binaries as it depends on its quality too, hence it may be an art.
This brings us to contemplate upon a fascinating aesthetic problem of art, the problem is how dos we tackle the issue that our real world often fails to match the beauty we find in our artistic expeditions. It also forces us to meditate and ponder upon dilemma that whether we should produce art which is too much to handle for our real world. It is often said that the highest form of art is one which infuses life in the artistic compositions so as make them real worlds themselves. Now the question arises that whether art is our saviour or destroyer. On prima facie, it may appear to even the most casual eyes that art is our saviour, for it helps us to express our desires, happiness, regrets, our existential anguish and thereby saving us from getting insane. The pleasure we seek and obtain from art also helps us to overcome the disappoint of our real world and thereby providing us sensory pleasure which is beyond our earthly universe. We have often seen that art provides us the solidarity and hope to brave through the most treacherous realities of our lives such death, it enables us to overcome our sadness and melancholy of life by expressing through itself and thereby acts as an equalizer in our lives. So, we may say that art acts us a saviour for us as it helps us to brave our existential ordeal.
link: source
But are there any dangers too associated with art. Could it possible that art shuts the door of real world on us, for what is to be find in our silly reality after savouring the delights of our art which satiates our sensory hunger beyond the very capability of our limited and inadequate reality. There is a possibility (though remote it may appear upon casual pondering) that art may deceive us and in fact, makes us fail to understand and thereby accept the limitations of our real world. And how do we find the courage to live on then after realizing that our reality is too limited. Could we say that, in a way art may hallucinate us about our perception of reality and thereby muddling with our ability to accept the real world which in turn, may throw us in an existential crisis. The power of rationalization which enabled us to evolve into ourselves over the years, may become numb to discern our reality and thereby to accept our real world as it is.
Our ordinary world is beautiful, to say it generally, we have so inspiration in our lives to ascertain our notion about beauty of our real world. In fact, we invariably take inspiration from the nature itself to produce the great works of art, we use our capacity to imagine to build upon those inspirations and create artistic creations which are too beautiful for our real world. But such creations may be used by us to understand our reality in a better manner by embracing it and thereby also to improve our world through using these products of our talent and imagination, as we have done over the years in our history. The story poses the problems related with art in a very aesthetic manner and thereby stimulate us to question the concept of beauty and truth. The short story ends, with epitome that how can art acts as our saviour, with treatment of fantastical nature. It was the first time I read the author and I thoroughly enjoyed.
link: source
May 28, 2024
Read in Black Water Anthology
I’ve had Yourcenar’s Memories of Hadrian on my shelves for years. Unfortunately, I am yet to read them. However, I feel like I am closer to that goal thanks to this short story.
At a first glance, it is a short story about a painter who manage to run away from the enemy by entering a painting.
When the reader goes deeper there are some interesting themes that are explored such as the power of art and imagination and the meaning of beauty.
I’ve had Yourcenar’s Memories of Hadrian on my shelves for years. Unfortunately, I am yet to read them. However, I feel like I am closer to that goal thanks to this short story.
At a first glance, it is a short story about a painter who manage to run away from the enemy by entering a painting.
When the reader goes deeper there are some interesting themes that are explored such as the power of art and imagination and the meaning of beauty.
May 19, 2025
This short story based on a Chinese legend is about the collision of two worlds - the real world and the imaginary one created by artists, the collision of the truth and the art which lies for the sake of an aesthetically pleasingl image.
The story is also about the victory of beauty and imagination (because no one can take it from you) over power and cruelty.
The story is also about the victory of beauty and imagination (because no one can take it from you) over power and cruelty.
March 6, 2024
"How Wang-Fo Was Saved" is a charming short story published in Marguerite Yourcenar's collection "Oriental Tales" in 1938. The Belgian author based the story on a Chinese legend, and it was translated by Alberto Manguel.
Wang-Fo's artwork is so beautiful that it transcends reality. Some people, like his assistant Ling, can lose themselves inside the paintings so they are immersed in a world of beauty. Wang-Fo's and Ling's minds also transcend ordinary life because they are totally immersed in the beauty of the art world. The story tells about how the two men were imprisoned, and how Wang-Fo magically saves them through his total absorption and immersion in the scene he is painting.
I read this story in "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature" which I'm reading with the Short Story Club.
Wang-Fo's artwork is so beautiful that it transcends reality. Some people, like his assistant Ling, can lose themselves inside the paintings so they are immersed in a world of beauty. Wang-Fo's and Ling's minds also transcend ordinary life because they are totally immersed in the beauty of the art world. The story tells about how the two men were imprisoned, and how Wang-Fo magically saves them through his total absorption and immersion in the scene he is painting.
I read this story in "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature" which I'm reading with the Short Story Club.
March 22, 2024
The world is nothing but a mass of muddled colours thrown into the void by an insane
painter, and smudged by our tears.
I have imagined a punishment for you, for you whose enchantment has given me the disgust
of everything I own, and the desire for everything I shall never possess.
painter, and smudged by our tears.
I have imagined a punishment for you, for you whose enchantment has given me the disgust
of everything I own, and the desire for everything I shall never possess.
March 15, 2024
This tale is beautiful with such a resonant ending. For me, the story didn’t come to life until the second reading, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
Ling’s journey
The thing that’s stayed with me these last few days is Ling’s story. For me, he’s the centre piece of the tale.
It’s a story of ‘the muse’ come to take him away, open up his life, and ‘give him a soul’. This is something I can relate to having tried to be a writer myself – it has the potential to leave old friendships dead, etc. and this seems to be what happens with his wife.
We don’t ‘meet’ Ling until the third paragraph, and this is how he’s introduced:
His disciple, Ling, walked heavily under the weight of a bag full of sketches; he doubled his back respectfully as if he carried the firmament of the skies; as that sack—to Ling’s eyes—was full of mountains covered in snows, with rivers in spring and the face of the moon in summer.
He’s literally doubled over carrying a bag full of wonders. We learn through the tale that these wonders peel his fear away and make him a new person, to the point where he does what he does at the end (don’t want to spoil). He goes from cowardice, to bravery, and his wife is almost a necessary sacrifice on this journey.
Wang-Fô painted her one last time because he admired the greenish tone that dead faces acquire. His disciple, Ling, ground his paints and the job required such application that he forgot to shed tears.
Ling’s so caught up in the wonder of it all, is it turning him bad? Is this something he shouldn’t have done so readily? Does he care?
The vivid use of colour
Reading this over and over, there’s so many great descriptions of colour and artistic temperament which adds to the vivid experience. These are just a couple that jumped out at me:
They walked together, Ling carried a lantern whose light projected a surprising flash and sparkle in the puddles and that night Ling realized with astonishment that the walls of his house were no longer the red of cinnabar as he believed but rather the colour of an orange that has begun to rot.
They arrived at the doors of the Imperial palace whose violet walls stood in the plain light-of-day like a piece of twilight.
Wang talked as if the silence were a wall and his words destined to spread it with colour.
The Story of Kwashin Koji
I had a bit of déjà vu reading this. There’s a story in Lafacdio Hearn’s Japanese Ghost Stories that has almost the same ending.
And, all of a sudden, the water of the lake seemed to overflow – out of the picture into the room; – and the room was flooded; and the spectators girded up their robes in haste, as the water rose above their knees. In the same moment the boat appeared to glide out of the screen – a real fishing-boat; and the creaking of the single oar could be heard. Still the flood in the room continued to rise, until the spectators were standing up to their girdles in water. Then the boat came close up to Kwashin Koji; and Kwashin Koji climbed into it.
Obviously a common folk tale used in multiple places, and for good reason. We’ve all been taken in by art as if we were a part of it. That’s art’s power, and it’s beautifully captured in How Wang-Fo was Saved.
While thou lives, how could I die?
Ling’s journey
The thing that’s stayed with me these last few days is Ling’s story. For me, he’s the centre piece of the tale.
It’s a story of ‘the muse’ come to take him away, open up his life, and ‘give him a soul’. This is something I can relate to having tried to be a writer myself – it has the potential to leave old friendships dead, etc. and this seems to be what happens with his wife.
We don’t ‘meet’ Ling until the third paragraph, and this is how he’s introduced:
His disciple, Ling, walked heavily under the weight of a bag full of sketches; he doubled his back respectfully as if he carried the firmament of the skies; as that sack—to Ling’s eyes—was full of mountains covered in snows, with rivers in spring and the face of the moon in summer.
He’s literally doubled over carrying a bag full of wonders. We learn through the tale that these wonders peel his fear away and make him a new person, to the point where he does what he does at the end (don’t want to spoil). He goes from cowardice, to bravery, and his wife is almost a necessary sacrifice on this journey.
Wang-Fô painted her one last time because he admired the greenish tone that dead faces acquire. His disciple, Ling, ground his paints and the job required such application that he forgot to shed tears.
Ling’s so caught up in the wonder of it all, is it turning him bad? Is this something he shouldn’t have done so readily? Does he care?
The vivid use of colour
Reading this over and over, there’s so many great descriptions of colour and artistic temperament which adds to the vivid experience. These are just a couple that jumped out at me:
They walked together, Ling carried a lantern whose light projected a surprising flash and sparkle in the puddles and that night Ling realized with astonishment that the walls of his house were no longer the red of cinnabar as he believed but rather the colour of an orange that has begun to rot.
They arrived at the doors of the Imperial palace whose violet walls stood in the plain light-of-day like a piece of twilight.
Wang talked as if the silence were a wall and his words destined to spread it with colour.
The Story of Kwashin Koji
I had a bit of déjà vu reading this. There’s a story in Lafacdio Hearn’s Japanese Ghost Stories that has almost the same ending.
And, all of a sudden, the water of the lake seemed to overflow – out of the picture into the room; – and the room was flooded; and the spectators girded up their robes in haste, as the water rose above their knees. In the same moment the boat appeared to glide out of the screen – a real fishing-boat; and the creaking of the single oar could be heard. Still the flood in the room continued to rise, until the spectators were standing up to their girdles in water. Then the boat came close up to Kwashin Koji; and Kwashin Koji climbed into it.
Obviously a common folk tale used in multiple places, and for good reason. We’ve all been taken in by art as if we were a part of it. That’s art’s power, and it’s beautifully captured in How Wang-Fo was Saved.
While thou lives, how could I die?
July 17, 2024
Shades of the life of Buddha — a sheltered member of the ruling class discovers the tawdry reality of the world outside the palace gates.
Shades of The Picture of Dorian Gray — a painting has magical properties, capturing and containing an extra-vivid world; also offers escape.
Shades of a coming-of-age story, wherein young Ling, afraid of his own shadow, has his eyes opened by a chance encounter with an older mystical artist. This enigmatic guru/painter consumes Ling's life, painting him as a princess and his wife as a prince, in the process stealing her beauty. A portrait of Ling's wife as a sprite among clouds foreshadows her death.
I enjoyed the clunkiness here, the unusual grammar, the mysterious circumstances. A fantasy story that lives in the land of pure art, where art overshadows — and outwits — the machinations of humans.
Shades of The Picture of Dorian Gray — a painting has magical properties, capturing and containing an extra-vivid world; also offers escape.
Shades of a coming-of-age story, wherein young Ling, afraid of his own shadow, has his eyes opened by a chance encounter with an older mystical artist. This enigmatic guru/painter consumes Ling's life, painting him as a princess and his wife as a prince, in the process stealing her beauty. A portrait of Ling's wife as a sprite among clouds foreshadows her death.
I enjoyed the clunkiness here, the unusual grammar, the mysterious circumstances. A fantasy story that lives in the land of pure art, where art overshadows — and outwits — the machinations of humans.
November 15, 2014
Como lectora, creo que comprendí al Dragón Celeste, aunque, obviamente. no lo justifico. Hay libros que consumen, al igual que las pinturas de Wang-Fô; mientras se leen, una se aleja de la realidad; y cuando toca volver a poner los pies en la tierra, a veces resulta muy decepcionante. Pero bueno, es lo que se tiene, y con lo que hay que trabajar; no se puede vivir en esa nube por siempre.
En cuanto al libro, es un relato corto, sencillo y bello *.* ¡Me gustó mucho!
En cuanto al libro, es un relato corto, sencillo y bello *.* ¡Me gustó mucho!
December 11, 2024
Li porque um dos meus filhos precisava de ler para a escola e gosto de ler o que lêem... fabuloso na sua lição de vida em que a arte e a realidade podem ser tão directamente relacionadss e tão opostas entre si. Sobre a percepção do mundo através de aguarelas, e sobre a paz interior retrada em pinceladas.
Esta edição é que é terrivelmente má para a leitura...
Esta edição é que é terrivelmente má para a leitura...
January 22, 2024
Parfaitement parfait
January 31, 2020
Belleza pura. Hermoso trabajo ha hecho Marguerite Yourcenar con las comparaciones y la narrativa. Muy buen gusto en escoger palabras, oraciones. No existen palabras de más ni de menos. Todo equilibrado de una manera poética. Ciertamente uno de los mejores cuentos de la humanidad.
"Ling había crecido en una casa donde la riqueza abolía las inseguridades."
Bello, bello, muy bello. No deje de leerlo.
https://www.amazon.com/G-G-Melies/e/B...
"Ling había crecido en una casa donde la riqueza abolía las inseguridades."
Bello, bello, muy bello. No deje de leerlo.
https://www.amazon.com/G-G-Melies/e/B...
September 26, 2025
Oriental Tales by Marguerite Yourcenar
Wonderful stories
How Wang- Fo was Saved
This is the first in the series.
Wang –Fo is such a great painter that at one point, when he creates an image of a lake, water pours in to the “reality” out from the “imagination”. The imagination of the painter blends with, or invades the reality of the tale. The painter is such a keen observer that, when his loyal companion is beheaded next to him, after he had tried to defend his master, Wang- Fo is fascinated by red color of the blood spilled on the pavement.
Ling is the disciple who will stop at nothing for his mentor, indeed he gives his life and in doing that, he is careful to prevent the blood from spoiling his master’s dress.
Ling’s wife commits suicide, because her husband had become so attached to Wang-Fo that he had no other purpose in life other than to follow and serve the great master.
A bit horrifying at times, but an extraordinary tale.
Marko’s Smile
Marko is the epitome of a hero. He knows no fear and he fights anyone.
He has a mistress and hero that he is mistreats her after she had cooked a goat that was not that young:
- How dare you cook an ancient animal for me?!
And he throws away the food, upsetting the woman so much that she gets to town and betrays her lover, getting the population of the village to come and kill their mortal enemy.
Marko tries to escape into the sea, but they catch him in a rather strange manner- with something like a lasso. They drag him out of the waves and he looks stone dead.
The angry lover, who knows him best, says:
- Marko is not dead, no wave can kill him… or words to that effect
So they try in different ways to establish “rigor motis” or a definite state of death.
- Put him on cross and put nails into his body
So they start knocking him over.
Still unconvinced, the woman insists and they put hot coals and then they call women to dance around him.
Yes is too much for the valiant fighter.
Beauty and dance are too much for a mortal soul, may be the message. He smiles, the young woman sees him and does all she can to protect him.
The Milk of Death
This story is inspired from a Balkan story and I must say that we have a similar one- Manole’s Legend.
Three builders come to a breaking point, when they see that their construction is not holding. So they come to the conclusion that human sacrifice is needed and one of their wives will do the trick. Here there are some differences between the Romanian story and the one told by Marguerite Yourcenar.
In our version, the wife is simply walled up, while she is crying and breaking the heart of the reader. In this one, pleads with the builders to be allowed to keep on breast feeding her infant, even she will be trapped inside. They agree and allow space for her beasts and then for eyes.
They brought the infant who could feed on this Milk of Death for an incredible two years, until he did not need it any more.
I also loved the other tales included here, in particular The Last Love of Prince Genji.
Here there is an irony, for I had started the original story of Genji, included on the Guardian list of the best books ever, but did not like it that much.
Marguerite Yourcenar has tried to fill a space in that original story that had inspired her and to think about what could have happened.
I loved these stories and had appreciated Marguerite Yourcenar before, with The Memories of Hadrian.
Wonderful stories
How Wang- Fo was Saved
This is the first in the series.
Wang –Fo is such a great painter that at one point, when he creates an image of a lake, water pours in to the “reality” out from the “imagination”. The imagination of the painter blends with, or invades the reality of the tale. The painter is such a keen observer that, when his loyal companion is beheaded next to him, after he had tried to defend his master, Wang- Fo is fascinated by red color of the blood spilled on the pavement.
Ling is the disciple who will stop at nothing for his mentor, indeed he gives his life and in doing that, he is careful to prevent the blood from spoiling his master’s dress.
Ling’s wife commits suicide, because her husband had become so attached to Wang-Fo that he had no other purpose in life other than to follow and serve the great master.
A bit horrifying at times, but an extraordinary tale.
Marko’s Smile
Marko is the epitome of a hero. He knows no fear and he fights anyone.
He has a mistress and hero that he is mistreats her after she had cooked a goat that was not that young:
- How dare you cook an ancient animal for me?!
And he throws away the food, upsetting the woman so much that she gets to town and betrays her lover, getting the population of the village to come and kill their mortal enemy.
Marko tries to escape into the sea, but they catch him in a rather strange manner- with something like a lasso. They drag him out of the waves and he looks stone dead.
The angry lover, who knows him best, says:
- Marko is not dead, no wave can kill him… or words to that effect
So they try in different ways to establish “rigor motis” or a definite state of death.
- Put him on cross and put nails into his body
So they start knocking him over.
Still unconvinced, the woman insists and they put hot coals and then they call women to dance around him.
Yes is too much for the valiant fighter.
Beauty and dance are too much for a mortal soul, may be the message. He smiles, the young woman sees him and does all she can to protect him.
The Milk of Death
This story is inspired from a Balkan story and I must say that we have a similar one- Manole’s Legend.
Three builders come to a breaking point, when they see that their construction is not holding. So they come to the conclusion that human sacrifice is needed and one of their wives will do the trick. Here there are some differences between the Romanian story and the one told by Marguerite Yourcenar.
In our version, the wife is simply walled up, while she is crying and breaking the heart of the reader. In this one, pleads with the builders to be allowed to keep on breast feeding her infant, even she will be trapped inside. They agree and allow space for her beasts and then for eyes.
They brought the infant who could feed on this Milk of Death for an incredible two years, until he did not need it any more.
I also loved the other tales included here, in particular The Last Love of Prince Genji.
Here there is an irony, for I had started the original story of Genji, included on the Guardian list of the best books ever, but did not like it that much.
Marguerite Yourcenar has tried to fill a space in that original story that had inspired her and to think about what could have happened.
I loved these stories and had appreciated Marguerite Yourcenar before, with The Memories of Hadrian.
April 26, 2025
Une courte nouvelle intéressante qui nous plonge dans l'univers de la Chine et qui nous montre à quel point l'Art peut rendre vivant et beau le monde qui nous entoure.
December 29, 2025
Un beau conte sur l’art avec une dernière scène vraiment magique.
June 16, 2020
« Personne ne peignait mieux que Wang-Fô les montagnes sortant du brouillard, les lacs avec des vols de libellules, et les grandes houles du Pacifique vues des côtes »
August 21, 2017
Es un cuento que terminamos de leer y nos quedamos pensando y lo volvemos a releer para ver que fue lo que pasó. El 'pobre' Emperador se imaginó un mundo diferente, un mundo como lo inmortabilizó Wang-Fô y bueno, como tiene el poder mando por si cabeza por hacerle creer que el mundo era una cosa y cuando sale de su encierro se da cuenta que no es así. El arte puede ser peligroso y para Wang-Fô su arte, es peligrosa.
September 6, 2011
I loved to read this short story not only because of its beautiful scenery description, but because it was a story I read for school in my 7th or 8th grade and I had loved it just as much at the time.
September 6, 2017
Este cuento, inspirado por el taoísmo, es una bella construcción sobre el poder creador (y creativo) del arte. Bellamente ilustrado, es apenas un suspiro de la portentosa obra de Yourcenar. Muy recomendable.
December 31, 2015
Really want to read it! I have read a text which it showed the story of it And it was really interesting!
April 21, 2016
Bella, bella escritura, pero una historia demasiado apaciguada como para un cuento.
December 3, 2016
4.5 stars
March 18, 2024
I've reviewed this story under the collection it was published in, Oriental Tales, HERE.
March 26, 2024
«Cómo se salvó Wang-Fo» de Yourcenar es un cuento poético y fantasioso sobre los límites de la realidad y la fantasía. Yourcenar nos da la clave del relato desde el principio: «Wang-Fô amaba la imagen de las cosas y no las cosas en sí mismas…» Me recuerda la dicotomía entre el mundo de las ideas (inteligible) y el mundo sensible de Platón aunque al revés. Encuentro una cierta reminiscencia del «Retrato de Dorian Gray» al referirse a la joven esposa de Ling: «Desde que Ling prefería los retratos que le hacía Wang-Fô a ella misma, su rostro se marchitaba como la flor que lucha con el viento o con las lluvias de verano. Una mañana la encontraron colgada de las ramas del ciruelo rosa: las puntas de la bufanda de seda que la estrangulaba flotaban al viento mezcladas con sus cabellos; parecía aún más esbelta que de costumbre, y tan pura como las beldades que cantan los poetas de tiempos pasados. Wang-Fô la pintó por última vez, pues le gustaba ese color verdoso que adquiere el rostro de los muertos.» La salvación de su ejecución a manos del Emperador se produce a través de la fantasía: el pintor crea una nueva realidad mucho más bella y estilizada que convierte el mundo real en decepcionante y vulgar: «el mundo no es más que un amasijo de manchas confusas, lanzadas al vacío por un pintor insensato, borradas sin cesar por nuestras lágrimas. El reino de Han no es el más hermoso de los reinos y yo no soy el Emperador. El único imperio sobre el que vale la pena reinar es aquel donde tú penetras, viejo Wang-Fô, por el camino de las Mil Curvas y de los Diez Mil Colores. Sólo tú reinas en paz sobre unas montañas cubiertas por una nieve que no puede derretirse y sobre unos campos de narcisos que nunca se marchitan». En esta hermosa reflexión del Emperador resuena la famosa frase del «Macbeth» de Shakespeare: "La vida es una sombra... Una historia contada por un necio, llena de ruido y furia, que nada significa». Es este un cuento, como vemos, que rezuma literatura.
July 15, 2025
Alors là j'ai sorti ce livre du fin fond de mes cours, je ne me souviens même plus exactement de en quelle année j'ai dû lire ça sûrement en 3e ou en 2nd, bref ce qui est sur c'est qu'à l'époque j'avais survolé la lecture de cette courte nouvelle simplement pour récolter facilement les précieux points de lecture pour augmenter ma moyenne, mais quel ne fut pas mon erreur, cette nouvelle en laquelle j'ai donné si peu de mon attention et de mon temps me l'a bien rendu une fois que mon intérêt sincère s'est mêlé à la lecture.
L'ouvrage est une ode à la beauté des choses, bien que l'action soit courte on nous y oppose deux visions du monde diamétralement opposés, l'empereur est un homme bercé d'une imagerie merveilleuse dont la beauté lui en a fait perdre goût au réel, et en face Wang Fô un homme simple, loin de toute la luxure et le faste du dirigeant du royaume de Han, Wang sait saisir la beauté en chaque instant en chaque élément en chaque personne, même dans des situations qui n'y prêtent pas nécessairement d'intérêt à cette tâche, il peint des ivrognes, des paysages singuliers et arrive même à capturer la beauté d'un être alors même qu'il n'a plus rien de vivant en lui comme il le fait avec Ling et sa femme.
La conclusion est magnifique bien que hors du commun, elle est pleine de poésie, j'ai noté 3 mais ça vaut clairement un 3,5 bref court mais magistral
L'ouvrage est une ode à la beauté des choses, bien que l'action soit courte on nous y oppose deux visions du monde diamétralement opposés, l'empereur est un homme bercé d'une imagerie merveilleuse dont la beauté lui en a fait perdre goût au réel, et en face Wang Fô un homme simple, loin de toute la luxure et le faste du dirigeant du royaume de Han, Wang sait saisir la beauté en chaque instant en chaque élément en chaque personne, même dans des situations qui n'y prêtent pas nécessairement d'intérêt à cette tâche, il peint des ivrognes, des paysages singuliers et arrive même à capturer la beauté d'un être alors même qu'il n'a plus rien de vivant en lui comme il le fait avec Ling et sa femme.
La conclusion est magnifique bien que hors du commun, elle est pleine de poésie, j'ai noté 3 mais ça vaut clairement un 3,5 bref court mais magistral
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2024
Découvrir cette nouvelle au rayon jeunesse de ma bibliothèque a été je l'avoue très surprenant. Voilà une facette de Marguerite Yourcenar que j'ignorais ..
Publiée dans la collection folio cadet cette nouvelle est admirablement illustrée par Georges Lemoine .
Je serais fort curieuse de connaître le ressenti d'un enfant de 8 ans à sa lecture. Sans doute serait il comme moi en point d'interrogation sur le pourquoi et le comment du sauvetage de Wang-Fô mais se laisserait tout simplement porter par la magie .
Wang-Fô est un sage vénéré du taoïsme. Préférant le pauvre au riche, le troc à l'argent il vit dans un monde irréel et par sa peinture il s'évade du monde qui l'entoure ..
Un fort joli conte.
Publiée dans la collection folio cadet cette nouvelle est admirablement illustrée par Georges Lemoine .
Je serais fort curieuse de connaître le ressenti d'un enfant de 8 ans à sa lecture. Sans doute serait il comme moi en point d'interrogation sur le pourquoi et le comment du sauvetage de Wang-Fô mais se laisserait tout simplement porter par la magie .
Wang-Fô est un sage vénéré du taoïsme. Préférant le pauvre au riche, le troc à l'argent il vit dans un monde irréel et par sa peinture il s'évade du monde qui l'entoure ..
Un fort joli conte.
September 27, 2023
une nouvelle toute poétique qui interroge notre rapport à l'art et au monde.
quels lien entre art et nature ? l'art peut-il rendre compte de la nature sans lui faire défaut ? l'art lui est-il redevable ? la nature ne serait-elle pas elle-même une sorte d'art originel, véritable point de départ de toute autre tentative artistique ?
la plume de yourcenar, douce et fluide, nous ouvre les portes d'un ailleurs magique, émerveillant.
quels lien entre art et nature ? l'art peut-il rendre compte de la nature sans lui faire défaut ? l'art lui est-il redevable ? la nature ne serait-elle pas elle-même une sorte d'art originel, véritable point de départ de toute autre tentative artistique ?
la plume de yourcenar, douce et fluide, nous ouvre les portes d'un ailleurs magique, émerveillant.
November 24, 2024
No quiero decir que es hermoso, porque te hace repensar ese adjetivo. Pero mientras consigo otro, lo diré: es hermoso.
Gracias a mi profesor de Producción e Interpretación de Textos por haber terminado la asignatura con este cuento, presentándome a Marguerite Yourcenar <3 Fue un lindo semestre lleno de hermosas lecturas (y escrituras sufridas, pero que valieron la pena).
Gracias a mi profesor de Producción e Interpretación de Textos por haber terminado la asignatura con este cuento, presentándome a Marguerite Yourcenar <3 Fue un lindo semestre lleno de hermosas lecturas (y escrituras sufridas, pero que valieron la pena).
June 6, 2018
Buen relato corto donde nos muestra la obsesion de un gran pintor y como esto le convierte en el pintor mas grande.
Da un poco de pena como trata a su aprendiz y el final.
Son de esos libros que te dejan con dolor en el corazon despues de terminarlos. Pero esto ensombrece su calidad.
Da un poco de pena como trata a su aprendiz y el final.
Son de esos libros que te dejan con dolor en el corazon despues de terminarlos. Pero esto ensombrece su calidad.
January 19, 2023
J’ai pas aimer les allusions faites et les métaphores à mon avis trop présente et peu parlantes. J’ai pas aimé mais j’ai quand même lu l’intégralité de la nouvelle, voilà pourquoi il est mis en tant que 2 étoiles
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