short stories

If you read one saga in your life, you would die happy having read Outlaws of the Marsh. This is a particularly good translation and edition in that they take perhaps eight or ten different versions of this story and pack it all together in one bit so you get more quality tale for the buck. Mr. Shapiro even discusses the differences between several of the versions in the beginning of the book.

The saga takes you through a few decades of this roaming band of Chinese warriors in a land of corruption and evil. Though they are no angels themselves (in fact they are demons on Earth), they fight together for loyalty and honor in the name of the Emperor during the Song dynasty.

The descriptions of the battles are vivid and enthralling, and the window into the culture of that time is truly something to cherish.

An ancient story such as this is not something to be taken lightly, though it has plenty of humor, sorrow, and action to captivate the attention of all ages. Characters such as Sagacious Lu, Stumpy Tiger Wang, and Liu Kui the Blackwhirlwind, will forever be a part of you in your travels. Chairman Mao, himself, actually carried this book with him during the Long March in China as a constant reminder of the proud traditions of the Chinese people.

An evil ruler has imposed a tyrannical reign of terror over his impoverished subjects. An intrepid band of resourceful men and women, driven into hiding, have formed themselves into an outlaw army dedicated to restoring the rule of law and justice. If this seems eerily like Robin Hood and his Merrie Men, forget about Sherwood Forest and look halfway around the globe: this story takes place in twelfth-century China. Written by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong, and magnificently translated by Sidney Shapiro, "Outlaws of the Marsh" is a stirring tale about the struggles of common people standing up for themselves against an overpowering oppression.

Chinese history tells us that the outlaws of the Shantung Province marshes really existed; the story that comes down to us is based on their legendary exploits during the reign of the Sung emperor from 1101 to 1125. Sidney Shapiro's translation, neither too formal nor overly colloquial, preserves the original vernacular and brings the book vividly to life, while preserving such typically Chinese features as the double-sentence chapter headings, and chapter endings telling the reader to "Read the next chapter if you would know" what is about to happen next.

The book is a rousing, old-fashioned action/adventure story, with lots of blood, gore, and battle scenes. Sagacious Lu, Stumpy Tiger Wang, and the other marsh outlaws are no angels, any more than Robin Hood, Little John and the other Sherwood Forest gang were, but they represent the good guys as brothers in arms against a corrupt government. "Outlaws of the Marsh" has been adapted into films, picture books, puppet shows, and at least one American novel called "All Men are Brothers" by Pearl S. Buck. Children all over China know the heroes of this story by heart. Sidney Shapiro gives us a great gift in bringing their exploits to the English-speaking world.

Am I the only person who loves these books and thinks they're absolutely hilarious because of the Sidney Shapiro translation? I feel very shallow, because the stories and characters are certainly fascinating, but I get an enormous kick out of such lines as this:

"Frigging monkeyshines! Who says I have any Right Honorable XImen in there!"
"Don't hog him all to yourself! Let me have a lick of the juice too. Think I don't know?"
"Little ape! What do you know?"
"Stingy as cutting vegetables with a hoof-paring knife in a wooden spoon, aren't you?"

And the fact that they keep saying things like, "I don't give a tooting fart!"

I apologize for this not-very-intellectual assessment of the books, but they kept me laughing out loud and reading choice passages to people. I love them!!!