John Minford on The Story of the Stone

       In The Telegraph John Minford writes about China's Story of the Stone: the best book you've never heard of, and while I hate that best-book-you've-never-heard-of claim under any and all circumstances, I'm tremendously pleased to see so much space devoted to what is unquestionably one of the greatest works of world literature (and which I count among the ten most important/influential reads of my life); it is, of course, also under review at the complete review.
       Minford notes that: "a complete and highly readable English translation has been available in Penguin Classics for nearly 30 years" -- though perhaps it might have been worth adding before the biographical note at the end of the article what the nature of Minton's "own connection with the book" (and specifically the Penguin edition) is: he was one of the translators.
       Regardless, he offers a nice introduction to the novel and its significance, noting its "unique status" in China, and that:

Apart from its literary merits, Chinese readers recommend it as the best starting point for any understanding of Chinese psychology, culture and society.

       As to what's so special about it, he suggests:

One has to try to imagine a book that combines the qualities of Jane Austen -- brilliantly observed accounts of Chinese psychology and personality, meticulous depiction of an aristocratic Chinese/Manchu household -- with the grand sweep of a novel such as Vanity Fair or the works of Balzac. Its mood is allegorical, lyrical and philosophical. It leaves the reader with a visionary experience of the human condition, comparable to that of Proust. It's a blend of Zen Buddhism and Taoism

       It is a long book -- but, I would suggest, very much worth your while.