The Nine Cloud Dream

Resumen del libro

Often considered the greatest work of classic Korean fiction, The Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong in Korean) poses the question: Will the life we dream of truly make us happy? A historical novel written in seventeenth-century Korea but set in 9th-century Tang China, its wondrous story begins when a young monk living on a sacred Lotus Peak succumbs to the temptation of eight fairy maidens. As punishment for disobeying his master and doubting his Buddhist teachings, the monk is reincarnated as the most ideal of men. On his journey through this life full of material, martial, and sensual accomplishments beyond his wildest dreams, he encounters the eight fairies in human form, each one furthering his journey towards understanding the fleeting value of his good fortune. As his successes build, he comes closer and closer to finally comprehending a fundamental truth of the Buddhas wisdom: that reality and dreams are ultimately indistinguishable. Presented here in a vivid new translation by PEN/Hemingway finalist Heinz Insu Fenkl, The Nine Cloud Dream is a masterpiece belonging to the canon not just of Korea, but of all world literature.