Li Liweng

Li Liweng (李笠翁), or Li Yu (李漁) (Jiangsu, 1611-1680), Chinese playwright, poet, novelist, essayist and editor of the Dynasty Qing.

Author of The Mat of Joys and Prayers (肉蒲團), he was one of the best representatives of the writers who exalted the pleasures of life and eroticism. In his works he dealt with topics such as homosexuality or hedonism.

Career

Born in Rugao, in present-day Jiangsu province, he lived in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Although he passed the first stage of the imperial examination, he did not manage to pass the higher levels before the political upheaval of the new Manchu dynasty, but instead he devoted himself to writing for the public. Li was an actor, producer and director, as well as a playwright, who traveled with his own company. His play Fēngzhēng wù (風箏誤, & # 34; Mistakes Caused by the Kite & # 34;) remains a favorite of the Chinese Kun opera stage. His biographers call him a "writer-entrepreneur" and the "most versatile and enterprising writer of his time."

Li is the alleged author of Ròu pútuán (肉蒲團), a well-crafted comedy and a classic of Chinese erotic literature. He also wrote a book of short stories called Shí'èr lóu (十二樓, &# 34;Twelve Towers"). In his time, he was widely read and appreciated for his boldly innovative subject matter. He addresses the theme of same-sex love in the short story Cuìyǎ lóu (萃雅樓, & # 34; House of Reunited Refinements & # 34;). This is a theme that he revisits in the collection Wúshēng xì (無聲戲, & # 34; novels & # 34;). The Jieziyuan Huazhuan painting manual was preceded and published by Li in Jinling.

Li was also known for his informal essays, or xiaopin (小品), and for his gastronomy and food writings. Lin Yutang defended Li and translated several of these essays. The whimsical and ironic "On Having a Stomach" de Li proposes that the mouth and stomach "cause all the worries and problems of humanity throughout the centuries." He goes on to say that 'plants can live without mouths and stomachs, and rocks and soil have their being without any food. Why, then, should we have a mouth and a stomach and equip ourselves with these two additional organs? Lin also translated "How to be happy even if you are rich" and 'How to be happy even though you are poor', and 'The arts of sleeping, walking, sitting and standing', which illustrate his satirical approach to serious topics.

Translations

• The mat of the goces and prayers. Iris Menéndez English translation. Foreword and notes by Patrick Hanan. Reader circle. Barcelona, 2000. ISBN 84-226-7102-6.
• The mat of the goces and prayers. Collection The vertical smile. Tusquets Editors. Barcelona, 1992. ISBN 84-7223-468-1