Kai Lung () is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in a series of books by

Ernest Bramah Ernest Bramah (20 March 186827 June 1942), the pseudonym of Ernest Brammah Smith, who was an English author. He published 21 books and numerous short stories and features. His humorous works were often ranked with Jerome K. Jerome and W. W. Jac ...

, consisting of ''

The Wallet of Kai Lung ''The Wallet of Kai Lung'' is a collection of fantasy stories by English writer Ernest Bramah, all but the last of which feature Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. It was first published in hardcover in London by Grant Richard ...

'' (1900), ''

Kai Lung's Golden Hours ''Kai Lung's Golden Hours'' is a fantasy novel by English writer Ernest Bramah. It was first published in hardcover in London by Grant Richards Ltd. in October, 1922, and there have been numerous editions since. The first edition included a pre ...

'' (1922), '' Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat'' (1928), '' The Moon of Much Gladness'' (1932; published in the US as ''The Return of Kai Lung''), '' Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree'' (1940), '' Kai Lung: Six'' (1974) and '' Kai Lung Raises His Voice'' (2010).

Character introduction

Kai Lung is a Chinese storyteller whose travels and exploits serve mainly as excuses to introduce substories, which generally take up the majority of a Kai Lung book.

Character sketch

Motivations

Kai Lung is a man of very simple motivations; most frequently, he is animated by a desire for enough

tael Tael (),"Tael" entry
at the

Thorne Smith James Thorne Smith, Jr. (March 27, 1892 – June 20, 1934) was an American writer of humorous supernatural fantasy fiction under the byline Thorne Smith. He is best known today for the two ''Topper'' novels, comic fantasy fiction involving se ...

, the character Mr. Lamb relaxes while reading Kai Lung.

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

mentions him in several

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries for ...

novels: * In chapter IV of ''

Strong Poison ''Strong Poison'' is a 1930 mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and the first in which Harriet Vane appears. Plot The novel opens with mystery author Harriet Vane on trial for the murder of her former lov ...

'', Wimsey says that

Harriet Vane Harriet Deborah Vane, later Lady Peter Wimsey, is a fictional character in the works of British writer Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957). Vane, a mystery writer, initially meets Lord Peter Wimsey while she is on trial for poisoning her lover (' ...

's ability to quote Kai Lung is a sign that they "should certainly get on together." * In chapter XV of ''

Gaudy Night ''Gaudy Night'' (1935) is a mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the tenth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, and the third including Harriet Vane. The dons of Harriet Vane's '' alma mater'', the all-female Shrewsbury College, Oxford (based on Say ...

'', he tells her that Kai Lung is an author who suits his tastes: "My tastes are fairly catholic. It might easily have been Kai Lung or Alice in Wonderland or Machiavelli—". * In chapter VII of ''

Busman's Honeymoon ''Busman's Honeymoon'' is a 1937 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her eleventh and last featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, and her fourth and last to feature Harriet Vane. Plot introduction Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane marry and go to spend thei ...

'' Peter quotes from ''

'' to Superintendent Kirk: "... entrancing it is to wander through a garden of bright images..." In 'He cometh and he passeth by' by

H. Russell Wakefield Herbert Russell Wakefield (1888 – 2 August 1964) was an English short-story writer, novelist, publisher, and civil servant chiefly remembered today for his ghost stories. Life Wakefield was the third of four children of the clergyman Henry Russ ...

, one of the principal characters reads ''The Wallet of Kai-Lung'' before retiring to bed.

Ford Madox Ford Ford Madox Ford (né Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Madox Hueffer ( ); 17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals ''The English Review'' and ''The Transatlantic Review'' were instrumental in ...

repeatedly quoted the allegedly Chinese

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...

"It would be hypocrisy to seek for the person of the Sacred Emperor in a Low Tea House." It has been convincingly argued that Ford originally acquired this proverb from the Kai Lung novels of Ernest Bramah, and that Bramah had created it for Kai Lung, rather than quoting a genuine Chinese proverb.Hawthorn, Jeremy, ‘Ernest Bramah: Source of Ford Madox Ford’s Chinese Proverb?’ Notes and Queries, 63.2 (2016), 286-288.

References

Literary characters introduced in 1900 Characters in British novels of the 20th century Fictional Chinese people in literature {{novel-char-stub