Mustard Seed Itinerary
by Robert Mullen
Description
A satirical novel, set in medieval China, in which schoolmaster Po Cheng drinks too much and dreams that he has been elevated to the highest ranks of the imperial court, before discovering how fragile life's fortunes can be.
Assisted in his dream by his teaching colleague Miss Ling, Po Cheng travels on a journey to the Chinese capital, rising up through the ranks of the civil service to become Prime Minister.
Good fortune appears endless, but what Heaven—and alcohol—hand out, they can also claw back. Trouble is brewing inside and outside the city walls, and Po Cheng’s eminence means he must now face consequences that were inevitable from the start.
Mustard Seed Itinerary is a brilliant first novel by an important new voice, bringing to the formal conventions of traditional Chinese literature the wry humour of Carrollian satire.
As Mullen says, ‘In Daoism and Buddhism, dream journeys serve as voyages of discovery from which only a blockhead would return none the wiser. And Po Cheng is no blockhead.’
More Information
Rights Information
World rights available
Endorsements
Maggie Bawden
"A very enjoyable read: I chuckled a lot. Robert Mullen is a new voice with a sustained style. Kafkaesque, but without the dark edge."
Reviews
“Intriguing journey through ideas and philosophies ... but with the lightness of touch of a Chinese painting. It’s a story full of humour, plot twists, endearing characters, some who follow convention and others who defy it ...”
Morelle Smith, Scottish Review www.scottishreview.net/MorelleSmith593a.html
Author Biography
Robert Mullen lives in Edinburgh. He was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Virginia. After studying at George Washington University, he did graduate work at the University of Alberta and became a lecturer at McGill University.
His published works include a volume of short stories, Americas, which was shortlisted for a Commonwealth First Book award, and Call of the Camino: Myths, Legends and Pilgrim Stories on the Way to Santiago de Compostela.
EnvelopeBooks
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher EnvelopeBooks
- Publication Date October 2021
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781838172046
- Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
- FormatPaperback
- Primary Price 12.99 GBP
- Pages302
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Copyright Year2021
- Page size8" x 5" (203.2 x 127) mm
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