The Lone Swan
1926rif. 003054Shanghai: The Commercial Press 1926. The author Su Manshu a brilliant poet writer painter and linguist was born in Yokohama of a Chinese father and a Japanese concubine. Throughout his relatively short life he suffered from bouts of depression likely due both to discrimination resulting from the circumstance of his birth and to the consequences of a libertine lifestyle. He entered the Buddhist monkhood three times attempting to find a solution to his despair; however unable to give up his love of wine and women he left the order. Despite his tumultuous life his accomplishments were significant including the translation of the poetry of Lord Byron and the novel Les Miserables into Chinese. He was also active in the revolutionary movement against the Qing Dynasty and wrote eloquently in support of this cause. The present semi-autobiographical novel was first written in his typically lyrical Chinese in 1912 the protagonist closely following his own romantic endeavours. It was translated in 1924 six years after his death at age 34 the translator taking great effort to retain as much of the flavour of the original classical Chinese as possible. The present volume is the third printing of this first edition. Christmas gift sticker on front pastedown; gift dedication on FFEP bookshop sticker on FFEP verso. Minor wear to cover; binding sound. Some foxing on front and rear endpapers. Internal pages clean and unmarked. xii 147 pp. 1 sepia portrait of the author. First edition 3rd printing. Hardbound. Very Good. 19 x 13 cm. The Commercial Press Hardcover
Orchid Press · Canada200,00 USD≈ 178,68 €
