The Money Demon: An Autobiographical Romance (Fiction from Modern China)

A popular autobiographical novel focusing on the author's amorous and erotic development. This Popular Autobiographical Novel, Written By Litterateur, Inventor, And Business Tycoon Chen Diexian (1879-1940), Is The Story Of His Youth, And In It He Chooses To Focus On His Amorous And Erotic Development - A Rare Subject In Chinese Literature - Revealing His Passage From Innocent Boy, Surrounded By Females, To Young Man, Armed With A New Attitude Toward Money, Business, And The Women In His Life. The Novel Is Built On Our Narrator's Relationships With The Central Women In His Life: His Mother; An Affectionate Nanny; His Enchanting Cousin; His Devoted Wife By An Arranged Marriage; A Tragic Peasant Girl; And Above All, The Girl Next Door And His Most Enduring Love, Known - After The Instrument She Plays - As Koto. Chen Diexian ; Translated From The Chinese By Patrick Hanan. Includes Bibliographical References (285-294). "This popular autobiographical novel, written by litterateur, inventor, and business tycoon Chen Diexian (1879-1940), is the story of his youth, and in it he chooses to focus on his amorous and erotic development - a rare subject in Chinese literature - revealing his passage from innocent boy, surrounded by females, to young man, armed with a new attitude toward money, business, and the women in his life.". "The novel is built on our narrator's relationships with the central women in his life: his mother; an affectionate nanny; his enchanting cousin; his devoted wife by an arranged marriage; a tragic peasant girl; and above all, the girl next door and his most enduring love, known - after the instrument she plays - as Koto."--BOOK JACKET. Chen Diexian was a writer, inventor and business tycoon whose life spanned the old China and the new. This is the story of his passage from innocent boy to young man, and in it he chooses to focus on his amorous and erotic development, a rare subject in Chinese literature. Contents Introduction Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Appendix: The Koto Story Notes A Note on the Translation