The Nine Cloud Dream

Having just read _The Story of Hong Gildong_, I was happy to learn that Penguin was publishing another work of classic Korean literature. The two books couldn’t be more different from each other, and I enjoyed both immensely. You may find my thoughts on _The Story of Hong Gildong_ in the appropriate place, but to put it simply, it is the story of an outlaw hero, and as such it focuses on worldly success. _The Nine Cloud Dream_, for its part, presents a story of worldly success too, but with an ironic twist, if you will. The frame of the story, the lens through which it is seen, is the dharma, or the Buddhist worldview. The protagonist’s worldly success must be evaluated in this context.A seventeenth-century Korean text attributed to Kim Man-Jung, _The Nine Cloud Dream_ is Chinese in theme and setting. The story opens with the temptation of Hsing-chen, a Buddhist monk who, after running into eight beautiful fairies, begins to doubt his vocation and to consider all the worldly achievements he is “missing out” on. So that he may learn a lesson, he and the fairies are plunged into a long dream, the “nine cloud dream” of the title. The dream, of course, seems real to them, and in it they will encounter each other repeatedly, as their fates are bound together by their karma. It is a delight for the reader to see how Hsing-chen, now under the name of the handsome and successful Shao-yu, crosses paths with each of the eight fairies, who have reincarnated as princesses or courtesans with different abilities. Shao-yu, for his part, is not born to a royal family, so he becomes successful through his own effort; he is in this sense a heroic figure, though the odds are not against him in the same way that they are against Hong Gildong.The notion that life is a dream is dear to Eastern philosophy. The famous story of Chuang Tzu and the butterfly, as a matter of fact, is mentioned towards the end of _The Nine Cloud Dream_. The _Dhammapada_, which summarizes Buddhist teaching, says: “Perceive the world as a bubble. / Perceive the world as a mirage. / If you see the world in this way, / You render the Lord of Death powerless” (13.4 in the Ananda Maitreya translation). _The Nine Cloud Dream_ is a beautiful depiction of the concept of mara, or illusion. The story will resonate with many readers in our age of irony, since as readers we know all along that Shao-yu's triumphs are illusory, and his dreams within the dream, reality. Hsing-chen, the real person in the Shao-yu disguise, is offered a vision of samsara (the cycle of birth, death, rebirth) so that he will make the decision to break free from the world of maya and enter paradise. The fairies are a distraction on his road to nirvana, but then, so is Shao-yu a distraction to the fairies. The book’s cover illustration is a stunning, brilliant depiction of the story.Irony is present also in the fact that Kim Man-Jung does not entirely dismiss the world of the senses while he narrates the story. _The Nine Cloud Dream_ may be a Buddhist parable, but it does not shy away from describing the pleasures experienced by the main characters. This makes perfect sense: to the characters, who are ensnared in the world of maya, these pleasures seem quite real. Sensory descriptions are often startling. Here is an example: “The swirling of her bright dress and the flashing steel of the swords blurred together like spring snow falling on peach blossoms” (189). Notice all the movement, color, light and scent present in just one sentence.As I read _The Nine Cloud Dream_, I made a surprising connection. I was reminded of Jan Potocki's _The Saragossa Manuscript_, a nineteenth-century Polish text written in French (please see my review of the Penguin edition). This book, a novel made up of interrelated stories, illustrates the idea that the so-called real world is often misleading. “Nothing is what it seems,” and we may wake up any minute from a dream that seems incredibly real to us. This text and Kim Man-Jung’s are worlds apart, culturally and geographically, and yet they both convey the same worldview. For another take on the same idea, I recommend Calderón de la Barca’s marvelous play _Life is a Dream_ (1635), which has also been published by Penguin, but like all Spanish literature is criminally underrated outside the Spanish-speaking world.Heinz Insu Fenkl’s work as translator and editor deserves a separate paragraph. The notes are copious, thorough and illuminating, and they cover history, literature, culture, religion, and other areas. The introduction is brief but rich. It includes information about the author and discusses the novel in its cultural and historical context, but there are also enlightening comments on numerology, metafiction, and the connection between _The Nine Cloud Dream_ and recent films that question the nature of reality. There are also two appendices. The first one is a chart detailing the names of the eight women in the story and their meanings. Appendix B, for its part, is an astonishing discussion of what is lost in translation: in it, the editor shows how Chinese characters may illustrate, literally, points that are related to the story._The Nine Cloud Dream_ is one of the most fascinating, engaging stories I have read. One of its implications is that there is a reason why we meet the people we meet in this life; everything is connected, even if we are not able to perceive the connections because we let the world of appearances distract us. An excellent novel, _The Nine Cloud Dream_ also conveys a beautiful worldview.Next on my Asian literature list, _Essays in Idleness_ and _Hojoki_, by Kenko and Chomei.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!

Heinz Insu Fenkl's translation of this historic Korean novel transports the reader to the Tang Dynasty life of a Chinese monk who undergoes the punishment of reincarnation into an "ideal" life when he demonstrates a lack of commitment to the demanding requirements of life as a Buddhist monk. The detail of his life includes relationships with eight "ideal" women with whom his relationships reveal the superficiality of human values. The author's insightful descriptions draw the reader into this so-called perfect life. Am eager to read more of Insu Fenkl's interpretations of Korean literature.

When I first decided to read this book, I admit that it was with some sense of trepidation: I expected it to be a rewarding book, giving valuable insight into a new litterary tradition, but also that it would be a dull and longwinded read.I was partly right: It was rewarding, and I did learn a lot, but it was anything but dull. In fact, the whole thing reads like a particularly well-written modern fantasy novel, rich in allusions and adventure. The premise might be a little unusual to the modern reader (a love story between one man and eight women), and the protagonist is almost too accomplished at times, but despite this, or perhaps because of this, the whole thing becomes a deeply enjoyable read.At the end I was almost sorry to have finished, because I doubt I’ll find something equally engaging anytime soon. Nevertheless, I’m glad I’ve read it, and I can highly recommended it to anyone interested in Korean fiction- Or just good books in general.

Shao-yu is sent back to earth to re-incarnate and lead a more celibate life of understanding and compassion,and at journey's end he is a Prince with two wives, two concubines, etc and at an older age he decides to renounce all his worldly goods including his wives and concubines and ascend the mountain from which hehad been expelled in a previous incarnation, and finds peace, and time to lead a more simple life.I cannot honestly say that I learnt much from his journey. Others may find it.

This book exceeded my expectations in many ways. First, it's easy to read a chapter a day (they are all 15-20 pages) and stay grounded in the story. Second, the story is engrossing. It is full of tales of romance, adventure, excitement, personal growth, and has the tenets of Buddhist philosophy sprinkled throughout.

I have read this story many times in different editions and this one is good enough for the average reader.

This Korean classic was a great story about the Buddhist principle of the illusion of perceived reality, and Heinz Insu Fenkl did a pretty good job translating it into a technicolor adventure (and at times, wow, what a bonkers adventure it was). I was pretty bothered by the way women were treated as objects and property, but I'm sure that's just how it was back then and it wasn't the fault of the translator. My one criticism of the translation was that at times it was difficult to get the tone of a scene - for example, something that seemed like a joke was treated VERY seriously, and vice versa - and some scenes came to an unusually abrupt end.I definitely missed out on a lot of what apparently makes The Nine Cloud Dream the pinnacle of Korean classic literature - allusion to other Korean and Chinese tales, poems and people; and the multi-layered meaning based on use of specific Chinese writing characters - simply because of my lack of knowledge. Fenkl did include some explanation of these things in the notes at the end of the book, but I think it would've been better to include them as footnotes on the specific pages so we readers could reference them while reading the story.

Recommend

A nice read anyone who likes magical fairytales with a lesson can read it delightfully and yes it’s for adults and a classic!! Go for it you won’t regret

A quick delivery, but I also thought I was buying a new book. Unfortunately, one corner of the book's front cover has an ugly wrinkle from folding, which is a pity because I wanted to display and show off this Korean classic.