The Emperor's Pearl
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| The Emperor's Pearl | |
 University of Chicago Press - 1997 |
|
| Author | Robert van Gulik |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Ed Lindlof |
| Series | Judge Dee |
| Genre(s) | Mystery, Detective Novel |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| Publication date | 1963 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 184 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-226-84872-8 |
| Preceded by | The Haunted Monastery |
| Followed by | The Lacquer Screen |
The Emperors Pearl is a detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang Dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700.
[edit] Plot introduction
Judge Dee, has settled in to the job as the chief judge for the town/district of Poo-yang. At the annual Dragon boat race, a young drummer dies myseriously and shortly thereafter, a young woman is found dead in a deserted country estate. The mystery involves the cruel river goddess, a wealthy merchant's young mute wife, and the legendary Emperor's Pearl. Judge Dee will not rest until this mystery is resolved.
Poo-yang was the setting for many Judge Dee stories including: The Chinese Bell Murders, Necklace and Calabash, Poets and Murder, and The Red Pavilion.
[edit] Literary significance and criticism
"Whether the reader or the writer is the first to tire of a formula may be argued with the aid of any given example such as this story. The fact remains that the characters, events, and tricks now seem close to played out."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. A Catalogue of Crime. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989. ISBN 0-06-015796-8
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