Lu Xun is an influential Chinese author known for insightful short stories. His classic work The True Story of Ah Q satirizes early 20th-century Chinese society with sharpness and wit.
If you enjoy reading books by Lu Xun then you might also like the following authors:
Lao She brings warmth, humor, and a critical eye to his stories about daily life in modern China. He explores social changes and the struggles of ordinary people surviving turbulent times.
His novel Rickshaw Boy portrays the hardships of Xiangzi, a hardworking rickshaw puller, vividly illustrating the effects of urban poverty and injustice.
Mao Dun's style combines realism with sharp social commentary, showing readers the challenges faced by people in a rapidly changing society. He often explores complexities in relationships, class struggles, and political upheaval.
His novel Midnight captures the dramatic social upheavals of 1930s Shanghai through a diverse group of characters, highlighting the chaos and contradictions of urban life.
Ba Jin writes openly and passionately about youth, family conflict, and society searching for new paths amid constant change. His storytelling is sincere, emotional, and highly relatable.
His novel Family focuses on generational struggles within a traditional family structure, reflecting the broader social clash between tradition and modernity in early 20th-century China.
Shen Congwen crafts lyrical and gentle narratives set in rural communities, painting rich descriptions of nature and life along rivers and villages. His stories often portray ordinary people living simple yet profound lives, free from glorification.
Border Town beautifully highlights rural life in Hunan, centering on love, daily struggles, and the customs of a small community untouched by urban modernity.
Eileen Chang explores complex relationships and emotions amid the backdrop of conflict, tradition, and modernity in 1940s China. Her writing is intimate, sophisticated, and revealing of human nature, capturing the subtle tensions felt by her characters.
Love in a Fallen City skillfully portrays the complicated romance and personal compromises of its protagonists in wartime Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Gao Xingjian is a thoughtful Chinese author whose work is richly symbolic and deals with themes of individuality, freedom, and the complexities of human experience. Like Lu Xun, he explores society critically and personally.
In his novel Soul Mountain, Gao tells a profound story of a man's journey through rural China, combining realism and poetic introspection in a deeply personal style.
Mo Yan's stories capture the intense, often brutal reality of village life in China with a vivid imagination and bold, often absurd humor. He writes about the struggles, joys, and sorrows of ordinary people in circumstances both difficult and fantastical.
His novel Red Sorghum portrays the harsh realities of rural Chinese life during wartime and explores themes of suffering, courage, and resilience. Readers who like Lu Xun's bold critique of society will appreciate Mo Yan's fearless storytelling.
Yu Hua writes direct, powerful fiction that exposes the challenges, injustices, and contradictions of modern Chinese society. His narratives are often brutally honest but also touched with deep humanity.
His notable novel To Live follows the life of a man who endures the turmoil of China's history, from civil war to revolution, revealing the strength and resilience found in ordinary lives. Fans of Lu Xun's clarity and intensity will find Yu Hua equally engaging.
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is a Japanese writer known for sharp psychological insight and concise, powerful short stories.
He is sometimes called "the father of the Japanese short story" for works like Rashomon, which offer unsettling explorations of morality, human nature, and conflicting perspectives.
Readers who enjoy Lu Xun's psychologically insightful short stories—and their unflinching examination of human frailty—might find Akutagawa fascinating as well.
Franz Kafka, the Czech-German author, crafted stories and novels that question human existence, authority structures, alienation, and bureaucratic absurdity. His works are marked by strange and unsettling events told in a clear, concise style.
In his novella The Metamorphosis, Kafka paints the disturbing and unforgettable picture of a man transformed into an insect, exploring themes of isolation, identity, and society's cruelty.
Readers who appreciate Lu Xun's critique of society through unsettling imagery and sharp observation may find Kafka's fiction appealing and thought-provoking.
If you like Lu Xun's sharp social critiques and insightful look at people's weaknesses, Nikolai Gogol might appeal to you. His stories often blend satire with a keen eye for human failings and the absurdities of society.
A good example is the short story The Overcoat, where Gogol explores themes of poverty, alienation, and injustice in 19th-century Russia.
George Orwell shares Lu Xun's dedication to exposing social wrongs and speaking truth to power. In his works, Orwell combines clear, straightforward prose with deep political insights.
His book Animal Farm uses allegory and satire to critique authoritarianism and propaganda, capturing themes similar to Lu Xun's criticisms of oppressive systems and rigid traditional attitudes.
Maxim Gorky, like Lu Xun, shows great empathy for ordinary people suffering under harsh conditions. Both authors shed light on injustice, poverty, and social inequality with honesty and realism.
Gorky's novel The Lower Depths provides a moving portrayal of the struggles and dignity of society's poorest, reflecting his powerful sense of compassion and anger towards injustice.
Albert Camus examines life's absurdity and human isolation in ways that may resonate with fans of Lu Xun's explorations of alienation and social disillusionment. Camus' style is clear, concise, and broadly philosophical, as seen in his novel The Stranger.
The story deals with existential themes, highlighting individuals trapped by indifferent societies—something readers of Lu Xun may appreciate.
Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer delves into struggles against colonialism and injustice with a direct, compelling voice. Like Lu Xun, he explores power dynamics, cultural clashes, and societal transformation in a vivid, realistic manner.
His notable work This Earth of Mankind vividly depicts Indonesian society under colonial rule and captures the fight for dignity and identity amid political oppression.