Pu Songling was a celebrated Chinese writer known for his supernatural and fantasy tales. His most notable work, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, combines folklore and imagination to create memorable narratives filled with spirits, foxes, and magical events.
If you enjoy reading books by Pu Songling then you might also like the following authors:
Ji Yun was a Qing dynasty Chinese author famous for eerie and supernatural stories. Readers who appreciate Pu Songling’s blend of reality with the strange and mysterious will likely enjoy Ji Yun's work.
His stories often focus on ghosts, spirits, and uncanny occurrences, grounded in everyday life.
His collection, Yuewei Caotang Biji, known in English as Random Jottings from the Cottage of Subtle Perception, is filled with tales exploring supernatural themes and amusing anecdotes of daily life.
Yuan Mei was a Qing dynasty writer who greatly enjoyed exploring the supernatural through engaging and thoughtful stories. His style combines simple prose and powerful storytelling, much like Pu Songling.
Yuan Mei's famous collection, Zi Bu Yu ("What the Master Would Not Discuss"), offers readers fascinating glimpses into encounters with ghosts, spirits, and bizarre happenings, paired with commentary on human behavior and cultural taboos.
Gan Bao was a writer from the Jin dynasty who is best known for a collection of supernatural stories, In Search of the Supernatural ("Soushen Ji"). His tales are filled with ghosts, mystical creatures, and odd phenomena, always presented in a matter-of-fact style.
Gan Bao’s calm storytelling strongly influenced later Chinese authors, including Pu Songling, and his work remains entertaining for readers who enjoy the mysterious and strange.
Qu You was a Ming dynasty author known for his collection Jiandeng Xinhua ("New Tales Told by Lamplight"). His stories explore human nature and morality through strange and imaginative situations, often touching on fairy tales, dreams, and reincarnation.
Readers fond of Pu Songling's storytelling approach, with its moral undertones and focus on the supernatural, will find much to admire in Qu You's vivid world.
Li Fuyan, a writer from the Tang dynasty, specialized in fascinating tales filled with intriguing fantasy elements, humor, and satire.
His notable work, Xu Xuanguai Lu ("Continuation of Records of the Mysterious and Strange"), skillfully blends the supernatural with everyday reality, depicting quirky encounters and odd circumstances in a relaxed, conversational style.
Pu Songling fans will appreciate Li Fuyan's playful style and imaginative narratives.
If you enjoyed Pu Songling's supernatural tales, Feng Menglong's storytelling will likely appeal to you. Feng Menglong collected and retold lively tales full of wit, humor, and vivid characters.
His stories often explore everyday life, love, betrayal, and social issues, blending realism with spirited anecdotes. One of his famous collections is Stories to Awaken the World, filled with entertaining narratives that reflect the complexities of human nature.
Readers who appreciate Pu Songling's imaginative style might also enjoy Ling Mengchu's work. His stories focus on real-life situations, ethical dilemmas, and human relationships, but they still contain elements of surprise and satire.
Ling Mengchu's writing is clear and direct, providing sharp observations about society. His notable collection Slapping the Table in Amazement offers witty and engaging short stories, often with humorous or ironic twists.
Fans of Pu Songling's fantasy elements might love the imaginative storytelling of Wu Cheng'en. His style blends humor, adventure, and fantastical elements drawn from folklore.
Wu Cheng'en is best known for Journey to the West, a classic novel filled with vibrant adventures, mythical creatures, and magical encounters, all centered around the famous Monkey King.
If Pu Songling's exploration of human nature and subtle social insights resonate with you, then Cao Xueqin's writing may be appealing too. Cao Xueqin's novels offer a sensitive portrayal of family life, romance, and the decline of aristocratic society.
His famous work, Dream of the Red Chamber, vividly captures complex characters in an elegant, beautifully written narrative that examines love, fate, and loss.
Readers attracted to Pu Songling's storytelling skill and portrayal of larger-than-life characters might also find Luo Guanzhong engaging. Luo Guanzhong wrote epic historical novels filled with drama, strategy, and heroic adventures.
His most celebrated work, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, vividly portrays turbulent history, charismatic heroes, and political intrigue, giving readers an insightful and absorbing narrative experience.
Ueda Akinari is known for writing imaginative and mysterious stories, deeply rooted in Japanese folklore and traditions. If you enjoyed Pu Songling's blend of supernatural themes and vivid storytelling, Akinari's collection Ugetsu Monogatari would be a great read.
This collection weaves ghost stories with human emotions, exploring love, regret, and supernatural intrigue in a lyrical and captivating style.
Lafcadio Hearn often focused on supernatural and ghostly tales from Japanese culture, retelling traditional folklore with a poetic touch. Like Pu Songling, Hearn brings readers close to the mysterious world of spirits, ghosts, and unexplained events.
I'd recommend his famous collection of ghost stories, Kwaidan, which opens a fascinating window into mystical Japanese folklore.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote chilling, mysterious stories that explore the darker human emotions through suspenseful and eerie plots. His tales share Pu Songling's fascination with the uncanny and supernatural, though Poe adds a deeper psychological twist.
Try his classic short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, a haunting story about madness, nightmares, and the supernatural.
Shen Jiji crafted tales that combine magical and supernatural elements with realistic settings, blending fantasy and everyday life in an engaging way similar to Pu Songling.
One notable story is The World Inside a Pillow, an imaginative tale that explores life's illusions, dreams, and ambitions with fantasy and humor.
Tang Xianzu was a playwright whose work often explored dreams, romance, and supernatural encounters, linked closely to the richness of emotions and fantasy worlds.
If you enjoyed Pu Songling's approach to ghosts, dreams, and surreal experiences, you'll appreciate Tang's masterwork, The Peony Pavilion, a romantic drama full of dream journeys, love, and ghosts.