A Dream of Red Mansions Vol. I

by Tsao Hsueh-Chin & Kao Ngo

Book Overview

This celebrated Chinese classical novel is a masterpiece of realism written in the middle of the eighteen century during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. It takes as its background the decline of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B000J46E4S
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Foreign Languages Press
• Length: 599 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Rekindling Memories of Childhood

I searched out this set because my teacher of Chinese medicine had told me that it was her favorite book as a teenager and that she still had the fondest memories of it - yet, she had never read it in English. When I gave it to her, she beamed, opened to a random page and said, "I know right where they are in the story although my English doesn't understand every word." When I saw her later she told me that her daughter was upset that she hadn't thought of this book for her mom as it brought her so much happiness!

A Masterpiece!

Even though some may say that the translation is less then brilliant I still enjoyed the story very much. I was quiet sad actually when the story ended. It made me feel like no other book had ever made me feel. I've always cheered on the good guys like in "Outlaws of the Marsh" or "The Three Kingdoms", but this time I really cared about these characters. Shakespeare's got nothing on this story. The charcters expressed the way they felt through poetry and music. I was in the room and I knew these people. It accomplishes everything every other story never could. I'm just afraid I'll never have that same feeling again.

Great translation of a Chinese Classic

One of the great classics of world literature. Having read both this translation and the David Hawkes' five volume translation of this novel, I personally prefer this one. Although the David Hawkes translation is smoother and more literary for the English speaking reader, I find that the Yang translation better conveys the atmosphere of 17th and 18th century China and the complex relationships between the various members of the upper class Chia household and their omnipresent bevy of slaves and servants. I even greatly enjoyed, from a tongue-in-cheek perspective, the "sayings of Chairman Mao" inspired introduction to this translation. I'm now ready to embark on my fourth reading of this book in about as many years.

Great Chinese Classic Novel, Fantastic Translation

This is the best edition you will ever read and great translation you can get in the market. The translators-Yang Xianyi and His British-born wife-Gladys Yang, both educated in Oxford University, keep the original flavor of the Chinese verison through their beautiful translation work. Must-read andhighly-recommended.