''The Red Pavilion'' is a ''

gong'an Gong'an County () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan to the south. It is under the administration of Jingzhou City. History During the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era, Gong'an County was k ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

written by

Robert van Gulik Robert Hans van Gulik (, 9 August 1910 – 24 September 1967) was a Dutch orientalist, diplomat, musician (of the guqin), and writer, best known for the Judge Dee historical mysteries, the protagonist of which he borrowed from the 18th-century ...

and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

). It is a fiction based on the real character of

Judge Dee Judge Dee, or Judge Di, is a semi-fictional character based on the historical figure Di Renjie, county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. The character appeared in the 18th-century Chinese detective and '' gong'an'' crime novel ''Di Gong ...

(

Ti Jen-chieh Di Renjie (630 – November 11, 700), courtesy name Huaiying (懷英), formally Duke Wenhui of Liang (梁文惠公), was a Chinese politician of Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties, twice serving as chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian. He was one of ...

or Di Renjie), a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

and statesman of the

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

court, who lived roughly 630–700. The book features six illustrations by the author and a map of Paradise Island (the setting for the story). This novel is a mystery of the type known as a locked room mystery.

Plot introduction

Judge Dee, the magistrate of Poo-yang, has an unexpected meeting with the most powerful and famous

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other ...

on Paradise Island, ''Autumn Moon''. Then, a man who was well known to be studying to pass the Imperial exams dies, as suicide or murder. His last week was spent in the company of Autumn Moon. Only a few hours later, she herself is found dead and Judge Dee is drawn into a web of lies and sad stories in the world of the prostitutes of Imperial China. Poo-yang was the setting for many Judge Dee stories including: ''

The Chinese Bell Murders ''The Chinese Bell Murders'' is a ''gong'an'' historical mystery 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 Renji ...

'', '' Necklace and Calabash'', ''

Poets and Murder ''Poets and Murder'' is a '' gong'an'' 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 magistrat ...

'', and '' The Emperor's Pearl''.

Literary significance and criticism

"As frequently happens in Judge Dee's work, three seemingly independent crimes turn out to be connected. Here the local color is heightened by the voluptuous surroundings and the personality of Autumn Moon, the queen of courtesans. The stories that interlock are patterned on western models of greed and violence. Some of the other tales are no less picturesque and less westernized in substance".Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. ''A Catalogue of Crime''. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989.

Publication

Van Gulik found his London publisher Michael Joseph unwilling to publish more than one title a year so he decided to publish '' The Haunted Monastery'' and ''The Red Pavilion'' privately by the Art Printing Works in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

in 1961 in limited print runs of 2,000 copies, '' The Lacquer Screen'' followed in 1962.http://www.endlessbookshelf.net/rhvangulik.html R. H. van Gulik: Diplomat, Orientalist, Novelist: article by Henry Wessells

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Pavilion, The 1961 novels Gong'an novels Judge Dee Locked-room mysteries