七缀集

by Qian Zhongshu, 钱锺书

《七缀集》是“全部《旧文四篇》和半部《也是集》的全并”

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

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

[Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As my library does not have a copy of this translation, I can only comment on the original text (七綴集). This is definitely not among Qian Zhongshu’s greatest works - which, I think most people would agree, include his novel 圍城 and his two infinitely suggestive and entertaining scholarly works 談藝錄 and 管錐編. Nevertheless, there was plenty of brilliance and humor in these essays, enough to make them worth rereading purely for the pleasure of it. I particularly enjoyed the long essay on 林紓 and the fascinating discussion of Longfellow’s poem being translated into Chinese, which evolves into a general discussion on Qing dynasty diplomats’ attitude towards foreign poets and writers.

Perhaps this is a good place for someone new to Qian’s work to test the waters and see whether his unmatched erudition is your cup of tea. If it is, then you can confidently dive into his larger works, and spend a lifetime in the company of a true genius.

[白宇轩]

A collection of Qian Zhongshu's essays on various aspects of comparative literary criticism. Qian's deep knowledge of both Chinese and European literature enables him to draw surprising parallels between seemingly unrelated works created in vastly different times and places. One striking example is a fictional tale discussed in the final essay, which appears in Herodotus’ Histories as well as in a 3rd-century Chinese translation of a Buddhist sutra. I was particularly impressed by Qian’s remarkable familiarity with obscure Italian authors from the late Renaissance. Regrettably, I must admit that his expertise in this area surpasses my own—and likely that of many contemporary Italian scholars. Erudition, one of Qian's defining traits as a writer, is on full display throughout this book. His trademark subtle wit is also evident, though it requires the reader to be both intelligent and well-read to fully grasp the nuances of his humor.

[H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

錢先生的書是一面鏡子，每每心高氣傲時候回來照一照。