If you enjoy reading books by Cao Xueqin then you might also like the following authors:
Luo Guanzhong is famous for historical storytelling filled with drama, heroism, and intrigue. His novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, vividly portrays the complex relationships and ambitions of military strategists, warriors, and rulers in ancient China.
Luo captures the struggle for power and explores themes of loyalty, ambition, and honor.
Shi Nai'an masterfully portrays a wide array of characters from different walks of life. In Water Margin, he narrates the adventures and rebellions of a band of outlaws.
He explores themes like corruption, friendship, and justice, presenting memorable characters and engaging storytelling that capture readers' imaginations.
Wu Cheng'en combines adventure, humor, mythology, and deep reflections on spirituality in his writing. Journey to the West follows the legendary monkey king, Sun Wukong, and his companions as they undertake a challenging pilgrimage filled with supernatural encounters.
Wu's storytelling brings together action, wit, and magical realism.
Murasaki Shikibu offers readers a fascinating look into the world of ancient Japanese court life. Her elegant storytelling in The Tale of Genji navigates human emotions, relationships, and the constraints of society with subtlety and depth.
She highlights themes of love, power, and longing through richly detailed characters and poetic prose.
Jane Austen is admired for her sharp wit, keen social observations, and subtle character portrayals. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen explores romance, social status, and moral values with humor and insight.
Her writing style is clear and enjoyable, creating stories that feel relatable and timeless.
Leo Tolstoy is celebrated for his deep insights into human psychology and society, often presenting expansive stories rich with realism and moral questions.
His novel Anna Karenina portrays complex characters whose inner struggles and relationships mirror wider social dynamics, similar to Cao Xueqin's exploration of family and societal pressures.
George Eliot's novels focus on detailed portrayals of everyday life, highlighted by vivid characters and careful observation of society's expectations and inner emotional struggles.
In Middlemarch, she skillfully examines individual desires and conflicts within a broad community, making her storytelling appealing to readers who value Cao Xueqin's layered narratives and social insights.
Marcel Proust is famous for sensitive examinations of memory, time, and consciousness. In his monumental work, In Search of Lost Time, he captures life's subtleties through intricate character relationships and evocative scenes of social life.
If you appreciate the rich, contemplative mood and deep emotional complexities in Cao Xueqin's work, you'll likely enjoy Proust's reflective storytelling.
Honoré de Balzac crafted a vast literary world depicting French society with realism, detailed characters, and sharp observations.
His novel Père Goriot delves into family struggles, social ambition, and moral dilemmas, exploring themes familiar to fans of Cao Xueqin, who similarly emphasizes the interplay of family dynamics and societal pressures.
Thomas Mann's writing combines psychological depth with sharp portrayals of social and cultural tensions.
His novel Buddenbrooks shows the gradual decline of a wealthy family, reflecting themes such as family legacy, society's shift, and individual struggle—subjects readers familiar with Cao Xueqin's sensitive depiction of family fortunes and decline will deeply appreciate.
Pu Songling is a master storyteller famous for blending everyday life with supernatural events. His style mixes folklore, fantasy, and ghost stories, offering thoughtful observations on human nature.
Readers who enjoy Cao Xueqin's insightful portraits of society will find Pu Songling's collection, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, fascinating.
These short tales often feature ghosts, spirits, and magical situations that subtly comment on morality, love, and social behavior.
Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng is best known for vivid and intricately-detailed stories about human desires and societal excesses. Much like Cao Xueqin, he observes characters closely and reveals their inner motivations and hidden conflicts.
One of his notable works, Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase), explores wealth, desire, and morality within affluent households, exposing social corruption and personal decadence.
Wu Jingzi uses satire and humor to critique scholars, officials, and society's hypocrisy during Imperial China. Readers who enjoy how Cao Xueqin portrays complex social hierarchies and personal foibles will appreciate Wu Jingzi's distinctive voice.
In his prominent novel, The Scholars, he paints lively portraits of people chasing ambition and status, highlighting human vanity and the flaws in traditional scholarship.
Naguib Mahfouz offers insightful glimpses into Egyptian social life, exploring family dynamics, political turmoil, and the passage of time. Like Cao Xueqin, he crafts realistic narratives depicting personal struggles intertwined with larger societal issues.
His acclaimed work, Palace Walk, carefully portrays a family living amidst social changes in 20th-century Cairo, examining traditions, dreams, and personal relationships.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer is an influential Indonesian author who vividly depicts personal journeys against the backdrop of historical turbulence.
His novels engage thoughtfully with themes of oppression, colonialism, and the quest for freedom, similar to how Cao Xueqin explores society through compelling personal stories.
In This Earth of Mankind, Toer narrates a young man's struggle for self-expression and cultural identity under Dutch colonial influence, masterfully capturing complex societal transformations through individual lives.