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The Nine Cloud Dream
The Nine Cloud Dream
Nov 15, 2025 5:39 PM

Author:Kim Man-Jung

The Nine Cloud Dream

A Buddhist journey reminscent of Dante's Inferno exploring the illusions of human life, published here in the first new translation in forty years

Often considered the greatest work of classic Korean fiction, The Nine Cloud Dream poses the question: will the life we dream of truly make us happy? A historical novel set in 9th-century Tang China, its wondrous story begins when a young monk living on a sacred Lotus Peak succumbs to the temptation of eight fairy maidens. As punishment for disobeying his master and doubting his Buddhist teachings, the monk is reincarnated as the most ideal of men. On his journey he encounters the eight fairies in human form, each one furthering his journey towards understanding the fleeting value of his good fortune. As his successes build, he comes closer and closer to finally comprehending a fundamental truth of the Buddha's wisdom: that reality and dreams are ultimately indistinguishable.

Reviews

A spontaneous bop prosody and original classic literature.

—— Allen Ginsberg

A jazz poet. His sentences frequently move into tempestuous sweeps and whorls and sometimes they have something of the rich music of Gerard Manley Hopkins of Dylan Thomas.

—— The New York Herald Tribune

A sad, often very moving story of mothers and daughters

—— Guardian

A hauntingly melancholy tale of love and loss...a moving exploration of the inheritance of unhappiness, and the devestating consequences it can have for future generations

—— Daily Mail

Potent and melancholy, like a short, sad song

—— Guardian

A male writer who can enter such traditionally female territory and aquit himself with such aplomb

—— Sunday Telegraph

An aching tale of love and loss

—— Stylist

Excellent. The novel's ending will leave you reeling

—— Daily Mail

An unforgettable tale of grief and life-long love

—— Woman's Own

The Trick to Time starts gently and ratchets up the emotional intensity until you're ugly crying into your pillow

—— Sunday Times

Weaving tragedy and joy, big themes and the minutiae of life, this is a love story to take on the classics

—— Emerald Street

It's slight but engaging. The style is simple yet artful

—— Evening Standard

A story that's full of care; even in its saddest moments it is tender and kind. It feels like a book about all the best parts of being human, about family and friendship, and the way that loss only hurts the way it does because it's grounded in love.

—— S K Perry

These distillations of everyday life have all the beauty of a finely crafted life drawing

—— Financial Times

A warm and endearing book about learning to live again

—— Good Housekeeping

The Trick to Time proves that Kit de Waal is a writer destined for even greater things

—— Red

Brilliantly written, deeply researched, funny, sharp and moving, this wonderful book marks the debut of a major talent.

—— Kate Williams, bestselling author of Josephine

Swan Song is a whirlwind tour of private jets to Mexico resorts, playboys’ yachts in the Mediterranean, Manhattan martini lunches and so much scandal ... [A] riveting novel

—— Red

Scandalous, frenetic, amusing and tragic, this throws open the doors to a privileged world driven by money, sex, power and influence, where stakes are high and, when trust is broken, there’s much to lose.

—— Daily Mail

A fascinating look at American high society in the Sixties and Seventies, and a portrait of a talented writer who couldn’t resist gossip, even if meant ruining his life

—— Stylist

Greenberg-Jephcott's debut is a devastating read that blurs the lines between vulnerability and narcissism; sex and power. And, ultimately, it is Capote's self-destruction that will have you racing breathlessly towards the end

—— The Pool

Simultaneously fabulous and tragic, Swan Song is an incredibly accomplished debut

—— Attitude

Our generation’s The Secret History

—— Pendora

Triumphant debut…remarkable

—— Woman & Home

A vivid debut … based on ten years of research, this is a dazzling read that’s been worth the wait

—— Image Magazine

Stunning... It’s probably one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever owned

—— Bookish Chat Blog

Hypnotically fascinating

—— The Arts Desk

The book is dripping with atmosphere and character and is such a pleasure to read.

—— And Then I Read A Book blog

Pure pleasure

—— Evening Standard Magazine

She deftly gives us an insight into their inner lives... while creating defined personalities that resonate and intrigue. Lyrical and fascinating, the fact that this is Greenberg-Jephcott's debut is astounding.

—— Emerald Street

A stunning debut novel that seamlessly blends history, fact and fiction in this imaginative re-telling of the life of novelist Truman Capote

—— Woman's Weekly

A brilliant first novel

—— Rose Tremain , Daily Mail

A slick debut pulled off with brio, Swan Song is glamorous, vivid and sometimes even daring in its intelligence

—— Irish Times

A dazzling read

—— Image magazine

Greenberg-Jephcott’s debut is fizzing with energy and ideas…The novel has style and substance in spades.

—— Observer

With a grounding in history, it is a fascinating read about the deepest secrets of an iconic author.

—— Hello!

Intoxicating

—— Prima

Swan Song is utterly divine.It swept me up and I just couldn't put it down ... it is the writing in this debut novel that astounds most of all. It is vivid, addictive and whips up a terrific portrait of a deeply contradictory and complex man, contrasting scenes from his unorthodox childhood with those from the gilded bubble he ended up in that he lanced through his own actions.

—— Victoria Sadler

A sumptuous look at the icons of Manhattan's high society scene in the mid-20th century ... An immersive readthat will have you questioning real histories versus the ones we create for ourselves.

—— History Extra
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