An Account of Marvels and of Beasts

Translated by Maxwell Massa

From the book listing on Asterism:

Never before translated into English, An Account of Marvels and of Beasts is a collection of forty-four supernatural tales from ninth-century China. Ghosts, spirits, vanishings, epic drinking bouts, and visions of hell are to be found in these premodern stories. This edition includes a robust textual apparatus by translator Maxwell Massa that gives the historical context of the Tang dynasty. Included are an introduction, a biographical and a topographical appendix, and many footnotes.

Praise

“Vivid, warm translations of delightfully witty and wicked stories by a Tang dynasty official in the ninth century who was also an early master of Chinese fantasy writing. Maxwell Massa brings the reader into a period of Chinese history marked by cultural effervescence. Massa is an unobtrusive guide, with a crisp introduction and careful annotations that never crowd the stories. The result is a rollicking read, its erudition lightly worn, opening a modern window onto a distant world of wealth and poverty, parties and officialdom, travels and intrigue—and, of course, marvels and beasts.” —Simon Rabinovitch, Beijing Bureau chief for The Economist