Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Murder in the Red Chamber (edition 2012)by Taku Ashibe, Tyran Grillo (Translator)
Work InformationMurder in the Red Chamber by Taku Ashibe
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. No reviews
Anthony West has called "Dream of the Red Chamber," a Chinese novel written in the 18th century, "beyond question one of the great novels of all literature," and many eminent scholars and critics have agreed with him. That being the case, one feels one really should read it. Many will hesitate, though, before committing themselves to David Hawkes' five-volume translation — as excellent as that translation is reputed to be. They might turn instead to Chi-Chen Wang's much shorter abridged version, and, as Arthur Waley has written, "in Wang's hands [they] will be perfectly safe." If, however, even a safely abridged version of a novel that is, after all, from a very different time and place seems daunting, there is now another port of entry: Taku Ashibe's "Murder in the Red Chamber."
Set in the world of the original Dream of the Red Chamber, the masterwork of eighteenth-century Chinese fiction by Cao Xueqin, this murder mystery plays out Peking during the late Qing dynasty. The author is famed in Japan for not only his tight plotting and brilliant characterizations, but also his skill in adapting famous fictional locales and characters for new works. The tale opens with the visitation of Jia Yuan-chun, esteemed daughter of the prosperous Jia family and newly instated concubine to the emperor. In preparation for her arrival, the Jias have constructed a magnificent homage in land known as Prospect Garden. Little do they know what horrors await them. During an evening gathering, one of the young maidens of the Garden is brutally murdered in plain sight. This spectacle sets off a series of mysterious deaths. Lai Shang-rong, a local magistrate and Chief Inspector in service to the Jias, is specially commissioned to investigate the goings on and get to the root of the evil that has darkened this otherwise idyllic setting. Bao-yu, however, has designs of his own. As the only male inhabitant of Prospect Garden, and with the pressure of success breathing down his neck as the next in line to the Jia throne, Bao-yu feels obliged to protect those dearest to him and decides to launch a private investigation. Ashibe's tragic conclusion leaves us with a heavy moral question while presenting even the most seasoned mystery fan with a refreshing and innovative take on the detective novel formula. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNone
Google Books — Loading... GenresNo genres RatingAverage: No ratings.Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |