Fortress Beseiged by Qian Zhongshu

Qian Zhongshu was apparently one the great minds of the 20 th C. -- proficient in classical Chinese literature -- as well as the occidental languages of Latin, German, English, French, Spanish (and maybe a few more).


This very popular novel was written in his thirties ---- about a young man (his own age) returning to China in 1938 after several years of study in Europe (just like Qian did)

So... like all of the Chinese novels that I've been reading from the later generations -- this is a fictional variation on the author's own life -- presenting the kind of people whom the author knew.

And these people are rather repulsive-- even the protagonist -- who is a Holden Caulfield kind of fellow --utterly cynical about the phonies of the world --but not really doing much himself --
a total washout --who has managed to get himself recognized as a scholar without learning a damn thing about literature, people, or how to live his life.

In a way-- it's kind of refreshing to have the central character of a story be such a loser -- after reading so many first-person-non-fiction accounts (like "Wild Swans") where the protagonist has a healthy respect for herself and her family.

But ..... who wants to spend 400 pages of dense reading with such a loser surrounded by more of same? How much nihilism can a reader endure ? (and the reading was indeed dense -- with 50 footnotes per chapter - packed with references to Chinese literature)

Well -- I endured about 100 pages worth and gave up. I just couldn't spend any more time with all these phony intellectuals, preening their self esteem while the country around them (during the Japanese occupation) was going up in flames. The "stinking ninth class" indeed ! Perhaps Mao was right -- and they did all need to be re-educated by the peasants. (and BTW -- in addition to being pompous bores -- several of the characters were distinguished by how badly they smelled -- oh, for a whiff of fresh air !)

The protagonist was thoughtless and self-centered -- but there was kind of honesty about him --i.e. he would fool others , but he wasn't fooling himself --and so there were some poignant moments between him and the women who found him attractive ( but would eventually be bitterly disappointed.)

And there were some very funny moments of interaction in their little dinner parties -- like the one pompous fellow who claimed to be a philosopher and a personal friend of "Bertie" (Bertrand Russell) who had actually come to his Chinese friend with several questions (though neglecting to say these questions were something like "how was your trip?")

(And I especially liked the author's description of a university degree as a "fig leaf to hide one's ignorance")

I suppose that if the reader were mired in the university world himself, especially the study of Chinese literature, this book would be outrageously funny (and it was recommended to me by one of scholar-characters in another book, "February Flowers")

But for me -- 100 pages was enough.