Luo Guanzhong – författare

Based on the story of the historical bandit Song Jiang and his companions, this epic tale of rebellion against tyranny and unjust government has been thrilling and inspiring readers for hundreds of years. From supernatural feats of endurance to poisonings, witchcraft and cannibalism and timeless tales of villainy and heroism, The Water Margin is a fascinating, suspenseful account of twelfth-century events during the Song Dynasty.Here is adventure, murder, warfare and romance, in a connected series of fascinating, individual tales, told in the suspenseful manner of the traditional storyteller. This new translation from Martin Palmer conveys all the drama of the original, and is accompanied by an illuminating introduction.

A new translation and abridgement of one of the four classical Chinese novels - an epic story of warring factions in the era of China's Han dynastyPart historical and part legend, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms dramatizes the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, recounting their personal and military battles, intrigues and struggles to achieve dominance for almost a hundred years. It is one of the most beloved works of East Asian literature, and the most famous historical novel in China.

This exciting new translation of the Chinese classic is designed to delight modern readers.The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago. It recounts in vivid historical detail the turbulent years at the close of the Han Dynasty when China broke into three competing kingdoms and over half the population was killed or driven from their homes. readers will experience the loyalty and treachery, the brotherhood and rivalry of China's legendary heroes and villains during the most tumultuous period in Chinese history.Part myth, part reality, The Three Kingdoms is considered the most significant work in classic Chinese literature. Many Chinese people view it not only as a work of art but also as a moral guide to success in life and business. Foreigners often read it to gain insights into Chinese society and culture. From the saga of The Three Kingdoms, readers will learn how great warriors motivated their troops and enhanced their influence while disguising their weaknesses and turning the strengths of others against them. Complete with footnotes and a detailed character list, this readable new edition is sure to thrill today's readers from all over the world.As the first volume in a trilogy, The Three Kingdoms: The Sacred Oath introduces Liu Bei and his brothers-in-arms Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, whose allegiance is sorely tested in a society in which each group is fighting for its own survival.

This exciting new translation of the Chinese classic is designed to delight modern readers.The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago. It recounts in vivid historical detail the turbulent years at the close of the Han Dynasty when China broke into three competing kingdoms and over half the population was killed or driven from their homes. readers will experience the loyalty and treachery, the brotherhood and rivalry of China's legendary heroes and villains during the most tumultuous period in Chinese history.Part myth, part reality, The Three Kingdoms is considered the most significant work in classic Chinese literature. Many Chinese people view it not only as a work of art but also as a moral guide to success in life and business. Foreigners often read it to gain insights into Chinese society and culture. From the saga of The Three Kingdoms, readers will learn how great warriors motivated their troops and enhanced their influence while disguising their weaknesses and turning the strengths of others against them. Complete with footnotes and a detailed character list, this readable new edition is sure to thrill today's readers from all over the world.Full of dramatic twists and turns, this third volume offers an exciting conclusion to the tale of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

The great empire of China is in turmoil.

When Marshal Hong breaks the seals which generations of Taoist Masters have placed on the temple doors to hold back 108 incarcerated Demon Princes, powerful forces of disorder are released. One after another, brave men fall out with officialdom and are obliged to join the brotherhood of the rivers and lakes-the mixed company of heroes and vagabonds who live by their wits and their fighting skills. The story of The Broken Seals branches this way and that, following first one hero, then another, as their paths converge and part, until finally 108 brave-but not entirely admirable-men are united at the outlaws' stronghold in the Marshes of Mount Liang.The story takes us through the vast landscape of imperial China. We hear of epic duels, gargantuan feasts, and cunning ambushes, and we witness injustice, betrayal, murder and revenge. We are told also of the beauty of the moon during Mid-Autumn Festival or of the snow, crisp underfoot on a stormy night in the country.This volume consists of the first twenty-two chapters of the full 120-chapter version of the classic Chinese novel by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. It is the first English translation based on this version and including much of the verse. It offers the English reader something of the liveliness and humour of a work which has delighted generations of Chinese readers.

The Tiger Killers is the second volume of a new translation of the Chinese classical novel generally known as ""The Water Margin"". Like the first volume, ""The Broken Seals"", it follows the fortunes of various outlaw heroes as they move through a world of treacherous officials, jealous toadies, bullying gaolers, hired assassins, foolhardy generals and cannibalistic innkeepers. This volume contains some of the most famous scenes in the novel, starting with the episode in which Wu Song gets drunk at the tavern, ascends the pass in late evening and kills a notorious man-eating tiger with his bare hands. His subsequent encounter with his midget brother's flirtatious wife, Jinlian or Golden Lotus, and her vain attempt to seduce him lead into a tale of adultery, callous murder and bloody vengeance. The second half of the book is concerned with Song Jiang's attempts to serve out his prison sentence honorably and avoid becoming an outlaw, until he is unjustly condemned to death for a misconstrued poem. Towards the end of this volume we meet the violent Li Kui, variously known as Iron Ox or Black Whirlwind, who also turns out to have a way with tigers. This volume consists of chapters 23 to 43 of the full 120-chapter version of the novel by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. It is the first English translation based on this version.

This is the third volume of a series of the new translation of the Chinese classical novel generally known as The Water Margin. In this volume, the company of outlaws on Mount Liang continues to grow — a butcher, a blacksmith, a public executioner, a petty thief… and the usual generals defecting from the government forces. Lu Zhishen, the Flowery Monk, and his companions from Twin Dragon Peak reappear and finally join the company, uniting two important strands of the story. Some episodes are relatively light: a tiger is stolen, an innkeeper's favourite rooster is illicitly eaten, Iron Ox is lowered to the bottom of a well and nearly gets forgotten. But in general the mood is darker. The naked bodies of a lecherous wife is carved up, an innocent child is mercilessly dispatched to gain a reluctant recruit. Chao Gai, the leader on Mount Liang, is killed in battle. Song Jiang replaces him, but for how long can he control his unruly forces? Despite the attraction of the life on the marshes, with its rootless freedom and rough code of honour, we are not to forget how the story was launched, when 108 Demon Princes were released in a black cloud. This series of new translation by John and Alex Dent-Young is also the first English translation of the 120-chapter version of The Water Margin. The translators have made the English translation as readable to English readers as possible by finding meaningful equivalents for many local terms and proverbial expressions, while aiming to retain some flavour of other times and customs. Readers in the West, even with no specialized knowledge of Chinese, will certainly enjoy the stories and characters presented in the novel.

Iron Ox contains chapters 63-90 of the original and can be divided into four main sections. The first of these is very much concerned with the question of the leadership on Mount Liang. Iron Ox is prominent in the second section, probably the most varied and entertaining part of this volume. The third section is concerned with the count's various attempts to subdue Mount Liang by force or win them over with an amnesty. The fourth section begins with the granting of the amnesty and the first campaign in the Emperor's service against the Liao Tartars. This part ends with an encounter which foreshadows the campaign against Tian Hu in Volume 5, The Scattered Flock.

The Scattered Flock, the last volume of this new series of translations, contains chapters 91-120 that mark the disastrous end of the 108 heroes. The action in this volume can be divided into three parts: the campaign against Tian Hu, the campaign against Wang Qing and the campaign against Fang La. It is in the last of these that the heroes of Mount Liang begin to die. Their demise is as haphazard and casual as the scattering of the flock of geese when the Prodigy shoots them for mere amusement. But the theme of the vanity of human wishes, the emptiness of ambition, becomes prominent earlier.