The Mystery of Luo Binwang

荒湖 / 金石Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMar 2024

Rating 3.4
Word count
144K words
Chapters
32
ISBN
9787533974107

Tags

Social Fiction Historical ReappraisalPolitical StruggleLegendary FiguresLegendary LivesFate and FortunePower GameSuspense NarrativeTurbulent Era

Summary

In 684, Duke Xu Jingye of Ying raised an army to overthrow Empress Wu Zetian and restore the Li Tang dynasty. Luo Binwang, one of the Four Talents of the Early Tang and a strategist under Xu, drafted for him the immortal proclamation "On Xu Jingye's Campaign Against Wu Zhao," which shook the court and the realm. Yet within three months the uprising was crushed, Xu Jingye executed, and Luo Binwang vanished without a trace—his fate becoming an enduring mystery. Through literary imagination bridging the gaps in history, this book reconstructs the latter half of Luo Binwang's life: denouncing corruption in the examination halls, aiding stranded scholars, striking down corrupt officials and local tyrants, studying local waterworks... In Yongxing, Ezhou (present-day Yangxin, Hubei), this chivalrous genius poured his passion into the land he loved.

Editor's review

The Enigma of Luo Binwang is a historical mystery novel by the writer Huang Hu, taking the elusive fate of the early Tang poet Luo Binwang as its entry point to weave a pursuit of intellect and emotion across a millennium. It is not a work of traditional historical scholarship but uses the historical mystery as a narrative engine, driving readers to follow its protagonist—a contemporary historian—deep into the political vortex of the Tang dynasty and the tangled web of individual destinies. Huang Hu's writing combines literary imagination with a feel for historical texture; he does not attempt to offer a definitive scholarly answer but vividly recreates, through a fictional investigation, the atmosphere of the era in which Luo Binwang, one of the Four Talents of the Early Tang, lived, the spiritual world behind his poetry and prose, and the infinite narrative possibilities contained in the historical blank of "vanishing after the defeat at Yangzhou." Its value lies in how it deftly transforms scholarly speculation into novelistic plot, letting readers enjoy the pleasure of solving a mystery while sensing the tension between grand narrative and individual choice in the lives of historical figures. The book's adaptation and interpretation of famous works such as the "Proclamation Against Wu Zhao" also offer a fresh perspective on Luo Binwang's literary achievement. Overall, this is a quality literary work that can spark readers' interest in Tang history and classical literature; its core appeal lies in interrogating history through story and connecting past and present through emotion.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. A brief review of Luo Binwang's life and his representative works, "On the Capital" and the "Proclamation Against Wu Zhao," before reading will help you enter the story quickly
  2. Pay attention to the novel's blend of fact and fiction, and observe how the author exercises reasonable literary imagination within a grand historical framework
  3. Try treating the reading process as a 'participatory' historical exploration and enjoy the intellectual pleasure of following the protagonist as he unravels the mystery

About the publisher

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is a Chinese publisher specializing in literary publishing. Judging from the 808 titles in the database, its publishing areas cover world classics, foreign literature, social novels, folk literature and classic works, as well as modern and contemporary literature and prose. Representative titles include foreign literary translations such as Anna Karenina, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, In Praise of Shadows and The Complete Tragedies and Comedies of Shakespeare, alongside classic works by Lao She and Lu Xun such as Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Wandering. Its authors and translators include Leo Tolstoy, Cao Ying, Lao She, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Zhu Shenghao. The press emphasizes the translation and introduction of classic texts and the compilation of native literary works, giving equal weight to Chinese and foreign literature. Owing to limited public information, its specific series and editorial policies are not elaborated here.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一章 燃烧的檄文
  3. 第二章 飞来的包裹
  4. 第三章 哭吟子胥城
  5. 第四章 葫芦塘和鹅
  6. 第五章 虎头布贴
  7. 第六章 救命的帽子
  8. 第七章 新的檄文
  9. 第八章 布老虎胸兜
  10. 第九章 锅盔
  11. 第十章 仇人之死
  12. 第十一章 鄂州密谋
  13. 第十二章 交换人质
  14. 第十三章 血染富河
  15. 第十四章 教训吴朋
  16. 第十五章 面见新团练
  17. 第十六章 祈雨
  18. 第十七章 王贵之死
  19. 第十八章 《杀吴员外檄》
  20. 第十九章 地下密室
  21. 第二十章 孝衣血字
  22. 第二十一章 骆氏牌位
  23. 第二十二章 账本
  24. 第二十三章 管家之死
  25. 第二十四章 雨中放粮
  26. 第二十五章 橘子与布贴帽
  27. 第二十六章 落虹山
  28. 第二十七章 王佳乡试
  29. 第二十八章 《咏鹅》歌
  30. 第二十九章 远方来客
  31. 第三十章 水底的墓碑
  32. 后记 告慰王平将军

FAQ

Is this book a strict historical biography? No. It is a historical mystery novel centered on the enigma of Luo Binwang's fate, blending historical background, literary imagination, and deductive elements. It is a work of literary creation, not a scholarly history.
Will not having read Luo Binwang's poetry affect my understanding? Basically not. The novel's narrative stands on its own, and key poetic content and historical background are naturally explained in the plot. Of course, some prior familiarity will give you a richer reading experience.
Does the novel's ending reveal the truth of Luo Binwang's disappearance? The novel offers a self-consistent literary answer grounded in historical sources and imagination. It is more an evocative dramatization of several historical possibilities than a definitive conclusion.

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About the author

荒湖 Author

Huang Hu is an author about whom very little public information is available; the library currently holds only one work by this author, The Mystery of Luo Binwang. Judging from the limited information, the book is classified as a social novel. Around the historical figure Luo Binwang, the author constructs a mystery, weaving narrative between historical fact and imagination, using suspenseful threads to drive the characters' fates and, through them, to observe social relations and real-life circumstances. Because basic details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name cannot be confirmed, it is difficult to reconstruct the author's life or creative career, and it would be inappropriate to speculate about education, writing credentials, or literary standing. On the evidence of this single work, Huang Hu shows an interest in historical subjects and in the narrative techniques of social fiction, and is skilled at organizing plot through a puzzle structure that lets readers experience the characters' situations and choices while pursuing the truth. More public information is still needed regarding the number of works and future writing; readers may look to The Mystery of Luo Binwang itself for its narrative orientation and thematic features.

金石 Author

Jinshi is an author about whom limited public information is available; only one work by this author is currently recorded in the database, the social novel The Mystery of Luo Binwang. Based on the available information, Jinshi's writing leans toward the social novel category, weaving narratives around historical figures or historical mysteries and combining suspense with attention to social reality. The Mystery of Luo Binwang draws on the legend of the Tang dynasty poet Luo Binwang, presenting character fates and the social environment within the framework of a historical enigma, which reflects the author's ability to balance popular storytelling with historical imagination. Since the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career cannot be confirmed, this introduction makes no conjecture about personal biography and outlines the thematic and stylistic profile only on the basis of the work information recorded in the database. The scale of Jinshi's output is difficult to assess at present, and the literary influence of this author awaits further observation as more materials and works come to light.