The Nine Cloud Dream

by Kim Manjung, Heinz Insu Fenkl (Translator)

Korea's most prized literary masterpiece: a Buddhist journey questioning the illusions of human life—presented in a vivid new translation by PEN/Hemingway finalist Heinz Insu Fenkl.

Often considered the highest achievement in Korean fiction, The Nine Cloud Dream poses the question: will the life we dream of truly make us happy? Written in 17th-century Korea, this classic novel's wondrous story begins when a young monk living on a sacred Lotus Peak in China succumbs to the temptation of eight fairy maidens. For doubting his master's Buddhist teachings, the monk is forced to endure a strange punishment: reincarnation as the most ideal of men.

On his journey through this new life full of material, martial, and sensual accomplishments beyond his wildest dreams, he encounters the eight fairies in human form, each one furthering his path toward understanding the fleeting value of his good fortune. As his successes grow, he comes closer and closer to finally comprehending the fundamental truths of the Buddha's teachings. Like Hesse's Siddhartha, The Nine Cloud Dream is an unforgettable tale exploring the meaning of a good life and the virtue of living simply with mindfulness.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Buddhism, Philosophy, Religion, 17th Century

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1687

About the author

Gim Manjung (1637–1692) was a Korean novelist and politician of the mid-Joseon period. He was eminent Neo-Confucian scholars of the Joseon period.

A member of the yangban class, Kim passed the state civil service examination and rose through the official ranks to become a royal academic counselor and minister during the reign of King Sukjong. He was exiled twice for involvement in the political factionalism of the time. As a man of letters his most renowned works were the novels Sassi Namjeonggi ("Record of Lady Sa's Trip to the South" 謝氏南征記) and The Nine Cloud Dream Kuunmong ("The Cloud Dream of the Nine" 九雲夢). The former is a novel about family affairs set in China, but it is also a satirical depiction of the political reality of his day, and in particular a rebuke of King Sukjong. The latter is one of the most prominent novels of traditional Korea. It is said that Kim wrote the Kuunmong during his second exile from political life. It is an ideal novel dealing with the affairs of life and is centered on the travails of the hero. It has a highly Buddhist overtone, with an emphasis on the transience of worldly glory and pleasure.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You say the dream and the world are two separate things, and that is because you have yet to awaken from the dream... Chuang Chou once dreamed he was a butterfly, and upon waking he could not tell if he was the butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou - Which is real and which is a dream?"

From THE NINE CLOUD DREAM [Kuunmong] by Kim Man-Jung, translated from the Korean by Heinz Insu Fenkel.
Originally written in 1687, reprinted by @penguinclassics - 2019.

The story mixes fairytale elements such as ghosts, fairies, dragons with those of parables: the journey, maturity, the lessons in the end. It was a surprisingly engaging read, many times dipping into hyperbole - the most beautiful women in the world, the bravest and most valiant of all men, the deepest and enduring loves, etc etc - and it was quite fun. In the end, there is a *little* surprise (hinted at in the great quote above) that our modern sensibilities are very used to, but one can imagine at the time it was completely revolutionary.

My favorite parts of the story were early on - the little pranks between friends, wooing a lover with poetry and song. It's courtly love and all that goes with that. The story wraps in larger comparisons between Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhist philosophies - cycles, the way, reincarnation, illusion, karma, samsara. One need not have a detailed experience with these systems to understand and enjoy the basic story.

In my reading, I learned this was the first Korean literature text translated into English in 1922 by James Scarth Gale. This text is available online for free reading, and after browsing a bit, I found Fenkel's modern translation more palpable, but that's purely subjective.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a (slightly historical) life story, religious story, a story written to console mother while living in exile apart from her – and she ‘is’ in the story, too – and a story that subtly criticizes the Korean king who has sent the author into exile more than once. Written in 17th Century in Chinese, this is a story that has Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist themes, though in the end favoring the last one the most, even when the majority of the book is spent in a Tang-dynasty China with Confucian themes ruling… but that world is the ‘dream’.
(The introduction may spoil the ending… The appendixes list the names of the eight women appearing this story, and talk of why reading the book in Chinese and/or Korean brings more insight into the names used in this book. The notes are also good.)

This one is the fourth translation of the book (the first one was in 1922), but I feel this one might be the best, trying to stay faithful to the original text the most. The text is left slightly archaic but not so much as to send the reader towards a dictionary or something like that.

It’s a Buddhist journey indeed: a promising young monk named Hsing-Chen, living in a monastery on Lotus Peak in China, is punished for his succumbing to temptation, and hankering for a more worldly existence, grass-is-greener, while in his cell. His punishment is a reincarnation into this Tang-dynasty China world as Shao-Yu, an ideal man… where his rise in career, love, and war goes impressively well, but in the end he grows weary and gradually understands better the truths of Buddha’s teachings. His waking up back into the world of being a young monk does not mean he forgets what he’s experienced, and he knows now how much better it is to be a monk, and be strong in his faith (“worldly riches, honor, and desire are nothing”). The eight women he meets – at first during his temptation, and then in the dream where they *also* have been banished – now reappear, wanting seriously to be nuns; and in the end Hsing-Chen becomes the Master of the monastery.

It’s a bit like Dante’s Divine Comedy – the person journeying through a certain kind of world, full of lessons for him, while the story also criticizing the current situation and current people in the author’s world. The target in the case of Nine-Cloud Dream was the Korean king Sukjon, whose rule had been rather awful (while providing material for later times’ court-life stories). The story is also similar to some Chinese dream-journey stories, but with more elegance and less tragedy (though the hero doesn’t completely escape bad times – he spends some time in prison, and is given the ‘wine punishment’ towards the end of the book. The people in the book frequently make nods to things historical, supernatural, or poetical things and writings of earlier time.

It’s interesting to read about this world, which in some ways reminds you of old Japan (but then old Japan was influenced much by China): the use of poetry, humble talk and generous praise, Shao-Yu having so many women (and all okay with each other). The dream’s court-world is ideal type, another subtle criticism against King Sukjon for sure. Tricks are played against on Shao-Yu and by him, too, but most are generally taken well by the one who’s the target of the joke. Everyone has good sex; heartbreak is experienced, but it is mended every time, eventually.
(Still, I did raise an eyebrow at having orangutan lips at a celebratory meal – poor orangutangs! *shakes head*)

I was quite surprised how good this reading experience turned out to be, and how positive the story was. The writing was quite clever, well-moving, and not too unbelievable even with the magical elements. Of the women in the story I particularly liked the one who could travel as a wind and came to Shao-Yu’s tent near Tibet. All eight women must’ve has an interesting life already before meeting him. (And the Penguin Classics cover with all those women in the sky is really beautiful.) There might be religious themes and political criticisms woven into the story, but this book is beautiful also as a dream-story… I can see why it is such a classic. Recommended.

[Sreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seek genuine happiness, not fleeting pleasures!

That's my takeway from reading this wonderful classic.

Shao-Yu's experiences resonated deeply with my own contemplations about happiness, something I used to think a lot about. The book seems to suggest that true happiness cannot be found in external sources, no matter how dazzling they may appear.

Moreover, what I always felt was in this "instant gratification" culture we live in, where answers and pleasures are readily available, seems to diminish their worth. Just like scaling Everest by helicopter versus trekking it, the hard-won journey holds more meaning, more lasting fulfillment.

Chasing pleasure without self-reflection leaves a void within.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 17th century novel 구운몽 by Kim Man-jung is one of the classics of Korea literature, alongside The Story of Hong Gildong, which was also the subject of a recent retranslation published by Penguin Classics.

At face value Nine Cloud Dream is a rather simple tale, a historical fantasy set in the 9th century Chinese Tang Dynasty. A young Buddhist monk is distracted on a journey by 8 flirtatious young fairies (and distracts them in turn). As a result his elder accused him of abandoning his vocation and condemns him to the underworld:

You have turned away from the teachings of the Buddha, and dwelt on worldly and sensual things. You have rejected your way of life here, and now you cannot stay.

His punishment is a rather ironic one, as in his reincarnation he becomes a handsome and successful young scholar. Rising rapidly through the ranks as a result of his examination success, his brilliant poetry and his diplomatic skills, he ends up with two wives, including the Emperor’s sister, and six concubines, together the reincarnation of the 8 fairies.

The resulting rather contrived story, with lovers tricking each other as to their identity, gender and even whether they are alive or dead, is somewhat reminiscent of Shakespeare’s plots. Although the ‘twist’ at the end has a distinctly Buddhist flavour.

But the novel has been better compared, in terms of its intent and impact, to, in a European literary context, Dante’s Inferno.

This new translation by Heinz Insu Fenkl comes with an illuminating introduction, afterword and footnotes from Fenkl, who, acting also as a scholar on the text, draws out the Taoist, Confucian and, above all, Buddhist themes and symbology, the subtle contemporary political allusions and the literary references and sophisticated word play with both Chinese characters and the then relatively new Hangeul (although a long held theory that this book was the first novel written in Hangeul text has now been largely debunked, and Fenkl also argues against this view.).”

As a stand-alone story this wasn’t a particularly involving read, but Fenkl’s commentary makes one aware, if still, as a Western reader, not necessarily fully able to appreciate, the depths of the work and why it is such a foundational text. 3.5 stars

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered 'The Nine Cloud Dream' by Kim Man-Jung recently and just finished reading it.

Hsing-chen is the favourite disciple of the Buddhist monk Liu-kuan. One day his master is angry with him because he feels that Hsing-chen has strayed from a monk's path (because of an episode involving fairies) and sends him to be reincarnated as a baby in a poor family so that he can experience the pleasures and pain of life. The master sends the fairies too, to be reincarnated as humans. Hsing-chen is born as the child to a hermit and his wife. They name the baby Shao-yu. What happens to Shao-yu when he grows up and whether he meets the fairies in their reincarnated human forms and the experiences he has and the adventures he goes through form the rest of the story.

'The Nine Cloud Dream' is an odd book. The story it tells is set in Tang dynasty China (around 900 AD), the characters in the book are all Chinese, and the book is written in Chinese. But the author is Korean and this book is regarded as one of the great Korean classics. This makes it fascinating. We won't bat an eyelid if something like this happens today, but in the 17th century when this book was written, it must have been odd. I did a little bit of research on this and discovered that during that time, Chinese was like the official language in many places in East Asia and Koreans mostly wrote in Chinese. This book must be one of the few surviving Korean works written in Chinese.

I enjoyed reading 'The Nine Cloud Dream'. 'Enjoyed' is an understatement. I loved it. I am a big fan of Chinese historical fantasies and this book was exactly that. The book has many wonderful strong women characters. The eight fairies who get reincarnated – each of them is amazing and unique. There are so many notes in the book which explain the finer points of Chinese history, culture, literature and philosophy. I normally refer to the notes sparingly because they disturb the flow of the book, but here I read every entry. It was fascinating. The story also had a lot of positive energy – there were no bad characters in the book. It was like reading a book version of a Hallmark movie. The characters in the story do mostly good things. Even in one situation when Shao-yu defies the Emperor and his mother, the Dowager Empress, and he is put in prison for that, we empathize with all the characters involved.

The ending of the story was interesting. I was expecting that the reincarnated characters will get back to their earlier form and maybe discuss their experiences as humans, but Kim Man-Jung delivers a totally unexpected ending. I didn't see that coming. That ending touches on some deep parts of Buddhist philosophy and it was fascinating.

The book has an introduction by the translator Heinz Insu Fenkl, in which he discusses the history of the book, its link to Korean history and the author's life, and the philosophical interpretation of the story. I liked most of the introduction but the philosophical analysis was a bit too much. The introduction is filled with spoilers and so it is better to read it, after you finish reading the book.

Have you read 'The Nine Cloud Dream'? What do you think about it?

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really am just some moss covered bones ❤️

[David Agranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centuries before Philip K Dick wrote pulp science fiction that poked at our relationship with the concept of reality or Neo pondered taking the Red pill a courtesan in Korean wrote this novel. Who wrote this novel is actually somewhat in question when you consider that it was first published in 1689. The story goes that the author was a court official working with the royal family of Korea. He was sent in Exile and he wrote this novel in a series of letters to entertain his mother and assure her his suffering was not important.

Considered a classic of Korean literature this story is referenced in works ranging from Manga, pop songs to movies. On the surface, this novel appears to be a romantic fairy tale or fantasy. It doesn't appear to be just a story a son was telling his mother. The novel seems designed for the audience and has a clear message. The Buddist themes in the novel are spread through the novel but come into sharpest focus in the opening and closing chapters. Some might think the center of the novel as a pointless adventure but that itself is the theme.

I am not sure if "It was all a dream" was revolutionary storytelling device in the 17th century, but the waking dream parts of this novel in the middle were fun for me. When your main character is reincarnated in what he believes is hell. I could have used a little darker elements but the style evoked was similar to the more weird and gothy Wuxia movies I love. Movies like The Bride with White Hair and Chinese Ghost Story. One must remember the experience is meant to be Meta-fiction. Just as we read a book and try to engage with the illusion the POV in the novel is Hsing-Chen or his dream self Shao-Yu comes to realize he is engaging with Illusion.

Shao-Yu asks a monk to help him wake from the dream. "Why do you resort to magic and not show the truth." The answer is there a few lines later. "My Master knew of my wrongful thoughts and made me dream the dream to learn of worldly riches, honor and desire are nothing."

While the novel is written and translated in an old school style that doesn't make it a breezy read the ideas contained are super powerful. I loved this line towards the back of the novel.

"You say the dream and the world are two separate things, and that is because you have yet to awaken from the dream. Chung Chou once dreamed he was a butterfly, and upon waking he could not tell if he was the butterfly dreaming he was Chung Chou."

When I was researching my Chinese Vampire novel (Hunting the Moon Tribe) in 2004 I wanted to read this novel badly. I had read about it, but couldn't find an English translation. At the time I read the Romance of Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West. My novel has many homages to those books and I have no doubt this would have influenced me heavily if I read it at the time. It is interesting as I do a Philip K Dick podcast now I thinking of the book now in this lens.

Really cool book and considering the age that makes it more impressive. The Nine Cloud Dream is a Korean Inception written hundreds of year before Christopher Nolan was a thing. Really cool book.

[Katerina Koltsida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα μικρό αριστούργημα τούτο το μεσαιωνικό (;) αλλά σίγουρα κλασικό έργο της Κορεατικής λογοτεχνίας.

Ο ήρωας, βουδιστής μοναχός, παρασύρεται από οκτώ νεράιδες κι έτσι καταδικάζεται να ξαναγεννηθεί και να βιώσει τις αντιξοότητες, τον αγώνα, τα εμπόδια, μα και τους έρωτες, τα πάθη, τις χαρές της πραγματικής ζωής των ανθρώπων στον αληθινό, σε αντιπαράθεση με τον μοναστικό, βίο (υπέροχη η περιγραφή των πρώτων του στιγμών στη νέα του ζωή, όταν, μολονότι νεογέννητο βρέφος, θυμάται ακόμα ποιος είναι).

Στην πολυτάραχη ζωή του θα κοπιάσει, θα τιμηθεί, και συνάμα θα εχει την τύχη συναπαντήσει μια μια τις οκτώ νεράιδες του, με τις οποίες θα δέσει τη ζωή του.
Αφού ολοκληρώσει τον κύκλο του και ξεπληρώσει τα "χρωστούμενα" θα φτάσει στην πνευματική ολοκλήρωση επιστρέφοντας στην αρχή: στην πραγματική του μήτρα, δηλαδή τον Βούδα.

Μύθος, θρησκεία, αλληγορία της μιας και μόνης ζωής που μας αναλογει; Όπως και να προσπαθήσει να ερμηνεύσει κανείς αυτό το βιβλίο, η αναγνωστική απόλαυση που προσφέρει, με το ταξίδι στο μύθο και την ιστορία, είναι Ιδιαίτερη.

[City ReadersMag · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Aynı diller aynı kelimeleri konuşur, aynı ruhlar birbirini bulur derler.” Dokuz Bulut Rüyası | Kim Manjung

Dokuz Bulut Rüyası, masal tadında başlayan ama kısa sürede çok daha derin bir hikayeye dönüşen bir eser. Genç keşiş Seong Jin, bulunduğu tapınaktan kovulup cehenneme gönderilir ve yeniden doğma şansı kazanır. Dünyaya Yang Saeng olarak döndüğünde sekiz kadınla yolları kesişir, bu karşılaşmalar onun hayatını ve aldığı kararları belirler.

Kim Manjung’un sürgün yıllarında kaleme aldığı bu roman, Budist düşüncenin izlerini güçlü bir biçimde taşır. Hikayede fanilik, yeniden doğuş ve içsel sınav temaları öne çıkar. Her şeyin geçici olduğu ve gerçek değerimizin yaşadıklarımızdan çıkardığımız dersler olduğunu vurgular. Dokuz Bulut Rüyası benim için hem masal tadında bir büyüme hikayesi hem de hayatın geçiciliğini ve insanın seçimlerinin önemini düşündüren bir eser oldu.

https://www.instagram.com/cityreaders...

[Sevda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kore edebiyatı adına çok değerli bir eser. Çeviride dönemi yansıtan kelime kullanımı çok doğru bir tercih olmuş. Böylesi önemli bir romanı dilimize kazandıran Mehmet Ölçer'e sonsuz teşekkürler.

[Hulyacln · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Kayıtlara göre Kim Manjung, 1687-1688 yıllarında sürgünde olduğu sıralar annesi Yun Hanım’ı teskin etmek maksadıyla, Dokuz Bulut Rüyası’nı bir gecede kaleme almıştır.”
Bir kitaba başlarken ithaf var mı diye meraklanırım. Yazara ve yazdıklarına biraz daha yaklaşacağımı düşündüğümden belki. Bundan sebep, Dokuz Bulut Rüyası’nın, dünyanın geçiciliği göstererek annesinin yüreğini hafifletmeyi isteyen bir yazarın eseri olması çok kıymetliydi benim için.
.
Budist tapınağında parlak bir öğrenci olan Seong Jin’in hikayesini dinliyor ve şu sorunun cevabını arıyoruz :
’Seong Jin’in dünyevi heveslerinin cezasını çekmek için yeniden hayata getirilmesi onu değiştirecek ve çıktığı yolu tamamlamasına yardım edecek midir?‘
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Kore Edebiyatı’nın başyapıtlarından sayılan Dokuz Bulut Rüyası yer yer izlediğim tarihi ve fantastik Kore dramalarını anımsattı bana. Mekanlar-kıyafetler ve erdemli bir gencin hikayesini gözlerimin önünde canlandırmak zor olmadı. Bunda Kore kültürünün çağdaş yapıtlarda dahi kullanılmasının etkisi büyük, geçmişi unutmamak ve bundan beslenmenin güzellikleri ~
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Tek oturuşta keyifle okuduğum eserlerden oldu Dokuz Bulut Rüyası.
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Mehmet Ölçer çevirisi, Natalia Suvorova kapak tasarımıyla~

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t remember the last novel I read that was written in the 16th century. ‘The Nine Cloud Dream’ is an all-time classic of Korean literature - a seminal work in Buddhist meta fiction. It’s not written in Korean, in case you are wondering, but in Chinese, and is a book that wraps layers and layers around each wor’l’d.

You can read this as a simplistic historical fantasy tale set in China and still enjoy it. It traces a man’s journey from his youth, his struggles, his numerous love affairs, the battles he faces, and the eventual end where he sits down and wonders what this life was all about. Or you can read this as a book that is a metaphysical exploration of Buddhist concepts of life, illusion, reality, dream, death, and suffering or transformation and still enjoy it. I loved the references that the translator has painstakingly put together - they really brought alive the period and Chinese history/folktales/literature alive for me.

My suggestion: This book needs to make its way to you. Picking it up randomly may not work. It’s a book that invites meditation, contemplation, imagination, and patience.

What’s life but a dream? And what’s a dream but life?

[May Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This was one of the first Korean Novels and is a classic. It reads like a great Costume drama. Cool to finally get the original.

I'm reading this as a part of my 100 books in 100 days. You can find me on Instagram at: whereismayling where I'm doing video fast recaps.

I enjoyed the story, but when I looked up more about it, I think that a lot of the opinions, unfortunately, have this book out of context. Because this book is so old, there is a desire to make it some tomb on Confucianism/Buddhism or they take it too literally and seriously. He's compared to all these very serious characters in like 1800s literature in the Western world, Jane Eyre, etc... the plight of women, etc.

But it's a bit crazy to me because while the date of this piece is unknown, it is known that this dude lived in the mid-1650s a period of reasonably decent stability in Asia. He's at the court of this Korean king. They are still paying tribute to China at this point. This book is popular enough to be found in both places, i.e. it's literature for the educated masses. IMO, it's more comparable to Swift (Comparable) and Moliere (who would have been born after this dude). Alternatively, you might want to compare him to the lighter pieces of Shakespeare where everyone doesn't die.

I think the Western people get really intense about Buddhism because of it starts like nearly every Costume drama in Asia starts. These people in the astral plane are doing their god thing and some younger monk (I think this might be a translation issue) gets in trouble for being a peeping Tom on some pretty fairies. So they send him down to earth to evolve. There he lives a very particular life to evolve.

He's sent down with nothing. This happens in a lot of the costume dramas where your error in the astral plane was of a particular sort. He has to work his way out and be a self-made man. He is depicted as a super hotty (p. 69), also very common in today's Costume Dramas. Because women are the theme of his sin in the astral plane, he meets another super hotty when he's poor and then later he becomes such a baller that the Empress forces him to marry her daughters. But this is Asia. You get 3 wives and a bunch of concubines. The problem is that with Empress' daughters you can't just have a first wife who is lower born (semi-spoiler, but not really). There's a lot of dressing up as men by women, particularly powerful women. All this stuff is so common in the Costume Dramas I know and love. Here we're seeing the original stuff from the 1650s. What's not to love? I suppose if you're totally unfamiliar with that sort of drama on tv, then you might take it really crazy seriously.

For those that think this is super sexist, well... kind of yes, kind of no. I mean, there are many places where the hotty concubine is directly described as intelligent (educated and learned) and beautiful. Contrast that to the way female characters are depicted in literature in the 1650s and, well... you know.

And while there is talk of the women in a few spots about wanting to come back as a man, I don't think that's so different from 1600's Europe. Also, there is this concept of humility that might be a subtext. Hard to say in a translated version. I mean, when these ladies are saying this portion, they are manipulating the living daylights out of the situation. Now it may be they are saying it b/c you wouldn't have to do that if you were a man, but I think it's more complex than simply, I want to be a dog in a next life b/c it sucks to be a woman.

My note:
p. 9 - I have no idea why you'd compare this to the Tao Te Ching. Seems like it would be like comparing Moliere to the bible. Yeah, there are references, but kind of goes a bit far back....
Really, the whole forward is a little bit useless, now that I've read it.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a World Literature discussion group on Goodreads (the same group for which I read the Jamaican literature last year and the Chinese science fiction for the first half of this year, and which will be spending a year or so on Korean writing; it's expanding my horizons in literature.) Kim Man-Choong (or Man-jung, to use the more modern transliteration) was a seventeenth-century (1637-1692) Korean author, and this is apparently considered a classic of Korean literature. It is the first Korean work I have read, so I don't really have much background for appreciating or discussing it. The version I read is an old translation by a Christian missionary; there is a more recent translation which is currently well beyond my budget, but which will be issued in paperback sometime next year.

The story is set in China under the Tang dynasty; there is a frame story about a Buddhist monk named Song-jin, who is punished for his momentary failure in ascetic attitude in talking to eight beautiful fairies by being reincarnated as So-Yoo, a poor young scholar. The novel then follows the life of So-Yoo and his marriages to eight beautiful women, who are actually the eight fairies also being punished by reincarnation; he becomes a rich and powerful official of the Emperor. I wouldn't mind being punished like this. The eight wives are far more interesting and active characters than I would have expected in a novel about polygamy; two dancing girls, a rich daughter and her maid, a sword wielding assasin, a mermaid princess, and the only daughter of the Emperor, all of whom are poets and scholars in their own right. At the very end (if this is a spoiler, the introduction already tells you everything about the plot), he suddenly realizes without any preparation that human happiness is transient, the old monk collects him, and he finds himself in his old cell, the whole live of So-Yoo having been a "cloud dream". The eight wives show up as the eight fairies and they all devote themselves to Buddhist asceticism.

The story of So-Yoo is an interesting love-story; I'm sure I would have appreciated the book much more if I were familiar with the conventions of this type of literature (and knew Korean). I found it difficult to take the frame story seriously; it seemed like the old porno stories that tacked a moral on the end to try to claim to the censors that they were promoting virtue. Perhaps a Buddhist would find it more convincing.

[Chant · Rating 3 out of 5]

The translators usage of the outdated Wade-Giles romanization of Chinese was off putting to say the least. The reasoning the translator used Wade-Giles was apparently to give it an old timey type of feel in terms of the translation, which it does but not in a good way. The problem I had with this translation was the fact that it felt stilted and was bit of a trudge to get through, as I've read many East Asian classics translated into English and they flowed much better than this book.

The plot itself is interesting but I wouldn't say it is ground breaking by any means when making comparisons to Chinese and Japanese literature of the time.

I wanted to really like this book but seeing as it is a influential book in Korean literature I think a three star review will suffice.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I read the original Korean version (as well as the James S. Gale translation), but what I have to say concerns the story itself, so I'll just put it here.

I read this book a few weeks ago, did some research, wrote a 10 page paper on it, and did a presentation for a class. It's a very fascinating novel because it is (rumored to be, although recent research may have proven this incorrect) the first Korean novel to have been written entirely in hangul. Its Korean name is also unique; instead of being the equivalent of "The Story of (insert character name here)," it has a name that actually has a fascinating meaning.

The "nine" of the title refers to Yang So Yoo (or Sungjin) and his eight wives (well, two wives and six concubines) (also known as the fairies). The structure of the story is unique and it's actually a surprisingly interesting story for something that was written in the late 1600s.

The reason I'm writing this review is because I had a discussion with a Korean friend today about it. He asserted that the story was basically a fairy tale - just fantasy and nothing of substance. I disagree; there is a lot of very fascinating things occurring in this novel, particularly in terms of how Buddhism and Confucianism are portrayed, and some of the women in particular strike me as being very, very subversive and - for lack of a better word - "modern" for their time. One was a female assassin, trained in swordmanship. Another told the main character she wanted to marry him. And all of the women had the choice to marry him! This is not something that I ever would have been able to picture for women of the time. Furthermore, it's said that this novel was popular among court ladies of the time. Imagine, if you will, what an influence it would have made on them. Women of different castes socializing, having the choice to marry and love who they want, and sharing in sisterhood with one another. Ignore the polygamous marriage - that's simply par for the course of the time. Instead, focus on what a unique story this was, and remains.

The modern adaptation by Choi In-hun (which, to the best of my knowledge, has yet to be translated to English) is also brilliant, although in different ways. Highly recommended!

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no Matrix from which to awake

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A man’s life is but a fleeting moment.”

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure whether to describe this delightful Korean novel first and foremost as an enchanting fairytale, political satire, or harem fanfic. Its fairytale imagery includes things like fairies riding on white deer and cranes, the hero meeting a mermaid deep in a poisoned lake, and time passing mysteriously while the hero learns to play music. And as a fairytale, it’s really nice: full of romantic scenes and ornate set pieces. Its satire is not as obvious, I guess, but Wikipedia mentions that it is intended as commentary on King Sukjong's affairs, and read that way, it’s pretty arch stuff. The hero of the story is portrayed variously as great, really great, or super great, so people just fall all over themselves to praise him and find ways to sort out and justify his actions. And that leads us to the harem fanfic aspect of it: this is a Korean novel set in Tang Dynasty China, and the basic plot involves one guy meeting / falling in love with (and eventually marrying) eight women on his path to enlightenment, and the little bit of tension in the book arises in how he’s in love with all of them and yet repeatedly blocked from marrying any of them. So it’s both a fannishly romanticized picture of China and a romance novel with a lot of deferred resolution to it. Incidentally, one review that I read mentioned minor issues with the translation and implied this was related to the translator being a Christian missionary, and I can definitely see that. The translation sometimes uses phrases (like “let no man put asunder”) that are presumably wrong for the context, even if they get the gist of things across, and I can well imagine there being other ways that the religious and/or earthly content of the story has been assimilated. Another translation exists, but it’s out of print, and this one was still a fun read.

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all classics, my advice is to read this book without reading any introductions, preambles, or reviews (including this one) and just read it as a story, the way the author intended.

Of course, there will be plenty of symbolism and other things you won't get by yourself, especially if, like me, you know next to nothing about Korea during the time it was written (I wasn't even sure when it was written at first). But you can always go back to read about that later, and this book has an excellent introduction and some great appendices.

I did read the end notes as I was reading the story, and appendix one had a list of names that helped, but that was it.

(SPOILERS BELOW)
Regardless, this was a great story. The introduction said it was like the Korean Divine Comedy. I confess I didn't get that myself (at first it reminded me more of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, since it was basically a dream within the story). But reading about how subversive it was, I see the parallels.

The emphasis on Buddhism seemed odd, since I know Buddhism was on the outs back then, so I guess that was part of the subversiveness. It also seemed odd that it took place entirely in China, rather than Korea, but I guess that was the standard as well? As always the Wade-Giles put me off (but the footnotes used Pinyin, which was weird).

The main character and his many women seemed a bit much too. Apparently that had something to do with the I-ching and the 8 steps to enlightenment of Buddhism. Although frankly it seemed more like an excuse to have him find 8 girlfriends.

Still, if you can get your hands on it, you should read it.

[Rowan Sully Sully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well not really sure what other translations of this book are like, but this one was brilliant. Very easy to read and follow and the introduction and footnotes are all well worth reading.

This old Korean classic follows a young Buddhist monk who gets punished by living a dream life for wandering from his Buddhist vows. It reminded me of a mix of the Dream of the Red Chamber, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and Zhuang Zi’s dream about the butterfly. It’s easy to read and contains lots of hidden meanings like Dream of the Red Chamber, has a lot of Buddhist morals but is more entertaining than Siddhartha, and really takes Zhuang Zi’s story about the butterfly to the next level.

You’ll also be exposed to Confucianism and Taoism as well as Buddhism in just over 200 pages. Definitely worth a read if you’re interested in anything mentioned above.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the earliest novel of Korea, written around 1689.

Don't remember whether I ever read the whole book in Korean,
found surprisingly entertaining. Hard to figure out Chinese sounding names of people and places, though.

"You say the dream and the world are two separate things, and that is because you have yet to awaken from the dream. Chung Chou once dreamed he was a butterfly, and upon waking he could not tell if he was the butterfly dreaming he was Chung Chou."

[Barry Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my review on YouTube here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dS_i...

[yediyediyedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kapılıp gittiğin dünyevi zevklerin hepsini tattıktan sonra geri dönen sensin, ben bir şey yapmadım. Bu arada rüyadan uyandığını kim söyledi? Vaktiyle filozof Zhuangzi rüyasında kelebek olmuş. Uyandığında, Zhuangzi mi kele- bek oldu yoksa kelebek mi Zhuangzi oldu anlayamamış. Yaşadığımız hayatın gerçek mi yoksa rüya mı olduğunu kim bilebilir? Şimdi sen Seong Jin'in kendi bedenin olduğunu düşünüyor, rüyayı da onun gördüğünü sanıyorsun ama ya- nılıyorsun. Bedeninle rüyanın bir bütün olduğunu anlamı- yorsun. Seong Jin ile Yang Saeng'den, sence hangisi gerçek, hangisi rüya?"

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible. catnip for fans of 'dream of the red chamber,' who will appreciate the echoes of this novel in cao's and admire the latter's ambition and sheer scale even more by comparison

[Eva Ils · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The act of reading Kun-mong is meant to be analogous to Hsing-chen's life as Shao-yu was within the novel. These layers of illusion and reality interpenetrate and, from a Buddhist perspective, become indistinguishable in the conditioned phenomenon of what we call "reality."”
- Heinz Insu Fenkl

I don’t think I will find the right words to describe how I felt About this book. All I can say is that I think it will stay with me for a long while.

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Régi keleti prózát olvasni mindig különös élmény: mintha egy ritka, bonyolult virágot vizsgálnék, a forma és a szín páratlan, de ha félrenézek, hajlamos vagyok elfeledkezni róla, hogy egyáltalán van valami a tenyeremben. A szépség könnyűsége, talán. Azt hiszem, ez abból fakad, hogy ezek a száz meg száz éve megboldogult ázsiai írók még őszintén hitték, hogy ha a forma tökéletes, akkor a tartalmi tökéletesség is adott. Érdekes, mennyire nem igényelte Kim Mandzsung (és a társak), hogy az őt körülvevő világot a maga valóságában ábrázolja, talán hitte, hogy a valóság úgyis körülvesz, az irodalom feladata egy magasabb rendű, irodalmi eszközökkel (szimbólumok, allegóriák, utalások régi mesterekre) megteremtett létezés felépítése. Tetszetős elképzelés, bár azért örülök, hogy az orosz realisták máshogy gondolták.

A Pajzán álom azért jobb, mint a legtöbb hasonló regény, mert (és ez talán rondán fog hangozni) rövid. Amikor a Vörös Szoba álmát olvastam, időnként a falat kapartam idegességemben: arra gondoltam, ha még egy percig lófrálnak ezek a palik a tó körül lágy négysorosokat szavalva, én felpofozom őket. Ez a könyv viszont pont megfelelő terjedelmű, a cselekmény többé-kevésbé végig feszes és fordulatos, így az utolsó oldalig meg tudtam őrizni a történet iránti vonzalmamat*.

Kim Mandzsung Tang-kori Kínája harmonikus, rendezett világ, ahol a művészet és a szépség az uralkodó erények. Persze a szkeptikus olvasó felteheti a kérdést, ha annyira jó a császár uralma alatt élni, akkor miért tör ki öt percenként lázadás a birodalom valamelyik pontján? Meglepő volt látni a korabeli társadalom nőkhöz való viszonyát is. Egyrészt a számos női szereplőnek látszólag jóval több esélye van, hogy érvényesítse tehetségét, mint az akkori Európában, és talán ezzel párhuzamosan a szexuális szabadosság is nagyobb. Az örömapáék úgy küldözgetik át a vőlegényhez a csinos szolgálót, mintha valami komatál volna. Viszont ha marxista irodalomtörténész lennék (ahogy nem vagyok), biztos az is szemet szúrna, hogy amíg a párhuzamos keresztény civilizáció irodalmában a nemes urak cselédeinek általában jól elkülönülő jellemet, arcot ajándékoz az író, addig itt onnan értesülünk (az egyébként elméletileg szegény) Jang szolgájának létéről, hogy egyszer csak váratlanul beküldi őt egy fogadóba. Valószínűleg az úr szandáljának leírására is több tust fecsérelt az író, mint holmi alantas személyekre. De ezek csak amolyan helyi érdekességek. A Pajzán álom szép, misztikus, helyenként izgalmas történet meglepően jól megkonstruált végkifejlettel, ajánlom jó szívvel mindenkinek, aki érdeklődik az ilyesmi iránt.

* Bár az utolsó harmadban akadnak zökkenők, például amikor oldalakon keresztül udvariassági vitákat folytatnak a szereplők, hogy „Te legyél az első feleség, mert te előkelőbb vagy”, „Nem, inkább te legyél, mert egy évvel idősebb vagy”.

[Greg Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read like a classic fairy tale. Often sensual. Even funny. Enjoyable read.

[luvygillian ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

such pranksters!