A review by paul_cornelius
Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An) by

5.0

Robert van Gulik's translation he states in his notes is from an anonymous eighteenth or seventeenth century Chinese writer who tells the story of an actual Judge Dee. Dee lived in the seventh century, during the Tang dynasty. The three murder cases presented in this volume generate an authentic atmosphere of the times, for me at least. I understand the novel is full of anachronisms across a thousand year span. But for someone not expert in Chinese cultural history of those eras, he or she will never notice. I didn't. Nonetheless, van Gulik recreates a strong sense of things the way they were, including the intercession of spirits and ghosts taken for granted by Chinese people. It's a remarkable book. And it cleared the way for van Gulik to write his own fictionalized adventure of Judge Dee. So, I'll probably take a look at the first one in the series, next.