GajimaruClassics.
Water MarginShi Nai'an

Water Margin

14th c. · China · Epic novel · ~1,600 pages

In corrupt Song-dynasty China, a band of a hundred and eight wronged men and women, driven outside the law, gather at the marshes of Liangshan to form a brotherhood of outlaws with a rough code of justice. One of the Four Great Classical Novels.

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Why read it

China’s Robin Hood epic many times over, a rollicking, violent, endlessly inventive saga of outlaws and honour that has fed opera, film, and legend for centuries. Pure storytelling swagger.

Themes
Setting12th-century China

The late Northern Song dynasty, an age of official corruption and heavy taxes when honest people could be driven to banditry, and the marshes offered refuge to anyone with a grievance and a sword.

About the author

Attributed to Shi Nai'an (14th century), Water Margin grew from centuries of oral tales of righteous bandits into a cornerstone of Chinese fiction.