Celebrated Cases and Cautionary Tales: Into the Archives

 

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, Translated and With an Introduction by Robert Van Gulik

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee , also known as Di Gong An or Dee Goong An, is an 18th-century Chinese gong'an [judge/detective mystery story]  by an anonymous author. It is loosely based on the stories of Di Renjie (Ti Jen-chieh), a county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. The novel contains cultural elements from later dynasties, rather than Tang Dynasty China, however.

The Dutch sinologist [a student of Chinese language, history, and culture] and diplomat Robert van Gulik came across a copy in a second-hand book store in Tokyo and translated the novel into English. He then used it as the basis to create his own original Judge Dee stories over the next 20 years. Van Gulik wrote:

“This translation is chiefly a product of the Pacific War years, 1941-1945, when constant travel on various war duties made other more complicated Sinological research impossible.

“This novel Dee Goong An is offered here in a complete translation. Possibly it would have had a wider appeal if it had been entirely re-written in a form more familiar to our readers.”

As carefully noted in his scholarly postscript, the present book is in fact a translation of only about half (31 out of 65 chapters) of a Chinese book in Van Gulik's possession, entitled "Four Great Strange Cases of Empress Wu's Reign". Van Gulik obtained three editions of that book – a 19th-century manuscript and two printed editions, published respectively in 1903 and in 1947 at Shanghai. There were many differences between variant texts, Van Gulik considering the 19th century version the best and basing his translation mainly on it.

The part which Van Gulik translated describes Judge Dee simultaneously solving three difficult criminal cases, culminating with his being rewarded by promotion to the Imperial court (which, Van Gulik notes, was the traditional culmination of a Chinese story about an official). The later 34 chapters described events at the Court (where the historical Judge Dee is known to have been a valued adviser to Empress Wu, though his career suffered various ups and downs).

Based on textual analysis, Van Gulik became convinced that the second part was a later addition written by "a person of feeble talents". … For [several] reasons Van Gulik decided to translate the first part only. The title given, "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee", is what Van Gulik assumed the original work was called, before the second part was added. However, he never actually obtained a copy of that original work or conclusive evidence that it had existed under that name. The second part, of which Van Gulik so strongly disapproved, was apparently never translated - leaving western readers with no way of independently evaluating Van Gulik's scathing criticism. –Wikipedia [slightly edited]

Cautionary Tales and Bad Child's Book of Beasts, by Hilaire Belloc

It is an odd circumstance that no matter how admired or how famous an author used to be, or how many books he had written, his entire reputation can turn mostly to dust over the years. But if he has written one popular children’s book it will persist over time. Such is the case of Robert Southey, once Poet Laureate of Great Britain and publisher of reams of verse that are no longer read except by scholars. But he also penned the story ‘The Three Bears,’ which, although few know its origins, is one of the most wide-spread and beloved fairy tales in the English language.

Such, to a lesser degree of popularity, has been the fate of Hilaire Belloc. Although he wrote over 150 books in his lifetime, it has been his works for children, of poems parodying the cautionary tales about the fates of bad children that plagued the Victorian/Edwardian era, that have survived among a group of connoisseurs. “Supposedly for children, they, like Lewis Carroll's works, are more to adult and satirical tastes.” – Wikipedia. One of his enthusiasts was Roald Dahl, whose Oompa-Loompa songs and the verse in his “Revolting Rhymes” follow the form and satirical comment of Belloc’s tales.

There is a third volume, More Beasts (for Worse Children) that is not included in this collection, though I cannot understand why not. The completist in me cries out. There seems to be plenty of room in this slim little book.

Basil Temple Blackwood, as B. T. B. (!), is the illustrator. 

Both of these books are sturdy, inexpensive Dover editions.