Fortress Besieged
Qian Zhongshu · 1910–1998 · China
Originally Weicheng (Chinese) · translated by Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao
Why it matters
A fraudulently credentialed young man drifts from failed romance into a miserable marriage. Chinese fiction's great satire of ambition and mediocrity, famous for the line that marriage is a fortress: those inside want out, those outside want in.
At a glance
satire
Difficulty 5/10medium pace379 pagesWitty, allusion-dense prose packed with erudite wordplay and literary reference.
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