Lao She – författare

A deliciously funny and moving comedy-of-manners about a Chinese father and son's experiences at the height of London's Jazz Age'He was in London - why be bothered looking at it? Wasn't it bad enough just being there?'Newly arrived from China, Mr Ma and his son Ma Wei run an antiques shop nestled by St Paul's Cathedral, where they try to make a living amid the smog and bustle of 1920s London. As they struggle with money, misunderstandings and the ways of the English - from the overbearing patronage of missionary Reverend Ely to their well-meaning landlady Mrs Weddeburn and her carefree daughter - can understanding, even love, blossom? Both a moving story of the Chinese immigrant experience and a bitingly funny satire on the English, Mr Ma and Son delicately portrays the dreams and disappointments of those seeking a new life in a distant land.Translated by William Dolby, with an introduction by Julia Lovell

This anthology draws out the nuances of old-school Chinese humanism in Lao She's short stories, displaying these farcical pieces in the colloquialisms of modern language. The stories showcase the varied facets of Lao She's talent and draw the reader into his world.

The charming children's story popularized by celebrated modern writer Lao She is here retold in simplified Chinese, with pinyin romanization and at the 700 character level.

Rickshaw Boy är en utmärkt representant för Laoshes verk. Under bakgrunden av medborgarlivet i Peking på slutet av 1900-talet avslöjar den den mörka samhällssidan i det gamla Kina och förmedlar en djup sympati för arbetarna genom Xiangzis miserabla liv som rickshawförare.

This is one of the famous dramas by Lao She. The drama is set in a typical, old Beijing teahouse and follows the lives of the owner and his customers through three stages in modern Chinese history. The play spans fifty years and has a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. Brought together in Yutai Teahouse, they reflect the changes that were taking place in Chinese society. The strength and appeal of the play lie in part in Lao She's masterful recreation of the characters and language of the streets of old Beijing, but the center of its strength is Lao She's vision, his unerring choice of significant detail, and his familiarity with the old society he is describing, with its strengths, weaknesses, and ironies. It is this which carries Teahouse beyond the borders of social criticism and makes it a complex and living work of art. Written in 1957, Teahouse bids an inspired, lingering farewell to old Beijing and the old society, despite their evils and ills, and extends a passionate welcome to the new society with its promise of freedom and equality of the people. Standing as it does between old and new China, and deeply rooted in both, Teahouse shimmers with a fine sense of ambivalence. True to its writer, to China, and to its time, it is a masterpiece of modern theater.

Camel Xiangzi not only marks the peak of Lao She's career as a professional writer, but it also registers a new approach to the representation of China in its absurdist situation. The novel shows Lao She at his best the work of a mature writer, who excels in his mastery of narrative techniques, as well as his prophetic vision of the future of China. For this reason, it can be read as an ""epic"" of modern China.