ORIENTAL TALES

by Marguerite Yourcenar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 1985

Originally published in France in 1938 and now appearing in English for the first time, these 11 stories comprise folktales, fantasies and allegories whose themes are as varied as the countries represented. From China to Japan, the Balkans to India, Oriental Tales addresses love, conquest, betrayal, murder, religion and passion in an eloquent and exquisite telling.""How Wang Ho Was Saved"" tells the story of an artist who ""loved the image of things and not the things themselves."" His gift for creating beauty forecasts his doom when the Emperor, the Celestial Dragon, notes that ""the world is nothing but a mass of muddled colors thrown into the void by an insane painter and smudged by our tears."" The writing is delicate, light brush-strokes of color and balance that create an extraordinarily powerful tale. In ""Marko's Smile"" Greek legend captures the strength of a superman for whom ""desire is the sweetest torment,"" while the story of ""Kali Beheaded"" portrays an Indian goddess who learns too late of the ""emptiness of desire, the uselessness of regret."" Each story carefully balances drama and myth; together they weave a patchwork of fiction that is based partly on original tales, partly on artistic invention. They're reminiscent of Edith Hamilton's Mythologies--but while Hamilton's focus is Greek mythology with endings that are invariably moral ones, Yourcenar takes readers to more exotic locales and regales them with tales that are explicitly fantastic and tending to the bizarre. She evokes powerful images of strong men whom nature can not threaten and paints portraits of concubines so loving they are assured our sympathy. It is a pleasure to read her.

Pub Date: Aug. 26, 1985

ISBN: 0374519978

Page Count: -

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION