Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Peking Mystery

Rene Leys by Victor Segalen

René Leys 

by Victor Segalen


  Exoticism's power is nothing other than the power to conceive otherwise. ... I conceive otherwise, and immediately the vision is enticing. All of Exoticism lies herein.

 

 

A Westerner in Peking searches for the mystery at the center of the Forbidden City in this captivating tale of spiritual adventure. The young Belgian René Leys, who claims to be aware of strange happenings in the Imperial Palace, such as love affairs, family disputes, and conspiracies that jeopardize the empire's very existence, is taken on by him as a Chinese tutor. However, whether he is telling the truth or playing tricks, the enigmatic and endearing René gives his ever-more-astonished disciple a glimpse of "an essential palace built upon the most magnificent foundations." This is enigmatic and entertaining - a read that I enjoyed.


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