Kuunmong: The Cloud Dream of the Nine [Paperback]

James S. Gale (Translator), Manjung Kim (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2003

Kuunmong: The Cloud Dream of the Nine A Korean novel: a story of true faith tested by worldly ambition, set in Tang Dynasty China; a love story, and a classic expression of Confucian values in conflict with Buddhist beliefs. By Kim Manjung (1617-1682), a public servant and courtier at the highest level, later a political exile, in seventeenth century Korea. Translated by James S. Gale (1863-1937), one of the most important early figures in the encounter between modern Korea and the English-speaking world. This edition features a 1922 introduction to the work by Elspet Keith Robertson Scott, and new introductory and interpretative essays by Susanna Fessler, State University of New York at Albany, and by Francisca Cho, Georgetown University

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About the Author

Kim Manjung was a product of Korean yangban (‘two orders’) culture: a system based on Chinese models, which required even elite members of society to pass civil service examinations. At first, Kim proved a success in this system: he rose rapidly through the social ranks, placed at the top of the state examinations when he was twenty-eight, and attained a high position at court. But reversals of fortune followed on his success, and Kim was often forced into political exile. He wrote Kuunmong during one such period, in 1687. Five years later, he died, at the age of fifty-five. He meant his novel to be a private act of protest, and a consolation for his family. In the centuries that followed its author’s death, Kuunmong has gone on to attain lasting fame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Kurodahan Press (December 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4902075032
• ISBN-13: 978-4902075038
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)