The True Story of A-qiu

«The True Story of A-qiu» — a small masterpiece of Chinese literature from the early 20th century, the first work to fully reveal the richness of spoken Chinese. The novella instantly gained international recognition and brought Lu Xun's creativity to... a global level. It has been translated into more than thirty languages, made it to the list of the 100 greatest stories of all time according to BBC, and became the basis for numerous adaptations — dramatic productions, films, and even ballets.
Originally, Lu Xun wrote this novella under the pseudonym «Ba Ren» («rude person»), and it was first published in a supplement to a newspaper as a series of stories. A special satirical effect was achieved through the contrast between the image of the main character — the impoverished peasant A-qiu, a man completely unheroic, hypocritical, and somewhat foolish, yet claiming «spiritual superiority» — and the narrative style characteristic of classical Chinese novels.
In this edition, «The True Story of A-qiu» is presented with the original illustrations by the Chinese graphic artist Feng Zikai. In addition to the titular novella, the book includes selected stories by Lu Xun.