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Three Kingdoms

A Historical Novel
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Three Kingdoms recounts the turbulent final years of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), when China was fragmented into three contending kingdoms. Written over a millennium later by Ming author Luo Guanzhong, it weaves a masterful narrative from historical records, dramas, and poems, exploring the complex nature of power, diplomacy, and warfare. This abridged edition preserves the intimate and unsparing portrayal of this critical epoch, cementing its place as China's national epic and a seminal work of world literature.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This epic is ideal for readers interested in historical fiction, Chinese history, classical literature, and those seeking insight into East Asian cultural heritage. Scholars and enthusiasts of world epics will find it deeply enriching.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

“A material epic with an astonishing fidelity to history." — New York Times Book Review

Three Kingdoms tells the story of the fateful last reign of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), when the Chinese empire was divided into three warring kingdoms. Writing some twelve hundred years later, the Ming author Luo Guanzhong drew on histories, dramas, and poems portraying the crisis to fashion a sophisticated, compelling narrative that has become the Chinese national epic.

This abridged edition captures the novel's intimate and unsparing view of how power is wielded, how diplomacy is conducted, and how wars are planned and fought. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this Ming dynasty masterpiece continues to be widely influential in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and remains a great work of world literature.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520344556

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 May 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 1 map

Contributors:

  • Translated by Moss Roberts
  • Foreword by Moss Roberts

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 478

About the Author

Moss Roberts is Professor of Chinese at New York University. He translated Dao De Jing and an unabridged edition of Three Kingdoms and is the translator and editor of Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies.

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