The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales

Lu Xun · 1881–1936 · China

Originally The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales (Chinese) · translated by Julia Lovell

Why it matters

Ah Q turns every humiliation into a delusional 'spiritual victory,' oblivious as a revolution he doesn't understand closes in around him: China's unflattering mirror, alongside the Gogol-inspired 'Diary of a Madman' that started modern Chinese literature with a scream.