Mao Tun Book order

Mao Dun, born Shen Dehong, stands as one of modern China's most celebrated left-wing realist novelists and a sharp cultural critic. His chosen pen name, meaning 'contradiction,' perfectly encapsulates the turbulent ideological landscape of 1920s China that so profoundly shaped his work. Through vivid depictions of bustling Shanghai and the lives of ordinary people, he masterfully explored the social and political transformations of his era. Mao Dun's writing is characterized by its keen realism and its deep engagement with the complex human experiences within a rapidly changing society.

2003
Spring Silkworms and Other Stories
248 pages
9 hours of reading
3.7(51)Add rating
Set against the backdrop of 1930s China, this collection of 15 short stories explores the profound challenges faced by society during a time of imperialist aggression and feudal exploitation. Mao Tun vividly portrays the hardships of rural life, economic depression, and the struggles of various social classes amidst the turmoil of the Japanese invasion. Through these narratives, he captures both the despair and the awakening of the people, reflecting on their resilience and the societal upheavals of the era.
2001
Midnight
588 pages
21 hours of reading
4.0(2)Add rating
A novel about the violence and corruption in Nationalist China in the 1930's by Shen Yanbing (1896-1981), better known by the pen name Mao Tun, was a member of the generation that created a truly vernacular Chinese literature in the early twentieth century. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, he was named Minister of Culture. The central figure in the story is Wu Sun-fu, an industrial capitalist in Shanghai, which was at that time the industrial and commercial center of China. Since its publication in 1933 Midnight has enjoyed immense popularity in China.

Spring Silkworms and Other Stories

Midnight