Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat
Ornate Pseudo-Chinese Tales of Wit, Parable, Cunning Survival, and Aphoristic Social SatireBy Ernest Bramah
Length10h 51m
About this audiobook
In *Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat*, Ernest Bramah's celebrated storyteller returns to spin ingenious tales of love, crime, officialdom, and retribution in an imagined China fashioned from classical allusion, proverb, and comic impossibility. The book's episodic structure resembles a sequence of framed oral narratives, while its elaborate diction, mock-philosophical maxims, and ceremoniously indirect dialogue produce a distinctive literary style: part picaresque adventure, part courtly satire, and part linguistic performance. Like the earlier Kai Lung collections, it belongs to the tradition of literary orientalism, yet its true subject is often the universal absurdity of law, bureaucracy, vanity, and social convention. Ernest Bramah (1869–1942), born Ernest Bramah Smith, was an English novelist and journalist whose varied career encompassed detective fiction, speculative writing, and humorous fantasy. His knowledge of popular storytelling and his delight in antiquarian language enabled him to construct Kai Lung's voice as both parody and homage: an English literary invention that evokes Chinese narrative conventions without attempting ethnographic realism. Writing in the early twentieth century, Bramah used this stylized distance to sharpen his satire of modern institutions and human self-importance. This volume is recommended to readers who value ornate prose, intellectual wordplay, and comic storytelling that rewards attentive reading. It will especially appeal to admirers of Lord Dunsany, W. S. Gilbert, and the tradition of the tall tale, while offering students of literary history a revealing example of interwar fantasy and cross-cultural literary imagination. Kai Lung's graceful evasions and improbable judgments make the book entertaining, but its enduring pleasure lies in the precision with which Bramah turns verbal extravagance into social criticism.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.1 (90)
Includes Goodreads
GenreFantasy, Humor
Length10 hrs 51 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 13, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (Fantasy Classic)
2CHAPTER I. The Malignity of the Depraved Ming-shu Rears Its Offensive Head
3CHAPTER II. The Difficult Progression of the Virtuous Kai Lung Assumes a Concrete Form
4CHAPTER III. The Further Continuance of Kai Lung's Quest and His Opportune Encounter with an Outcast Band, All Ignorant Of The Classical Examples of the Past
5CHAPTER IV. At the Extremity of His Resource, the Continent Kai Lung Encounters One Who Leads the Unaffected Life
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER V. The Meeting by the Way with the Warrior of Chi-U and What Emerged Therefrom
7CHAPTER VI. The Ambiguous Face Upon the One Found in a Wood and the Effete Ming-shu's Dilemma
8CHAPTER VII. The Concave-Witted Li-Loe's Insatiable Craving Serves a Meritorious End and Two (Who Shall Be Nameless) Are Led Toward a Snare
9CHAPTER VIII. In Which the Position of the Estimable Kai Lung Is Such That He Must Either Go Up or Down
10CHAPTER IX. Wherein the Footsteps of the Two Who Have Induced These Printed Leaves Assume a Homeward Bend
11PART II. -- THE GREAT SKY LANTERN
12CHAPTER X. How Kai Lung Sought to Discourage One Who Did Not Gain His Approbation
13PART III. -- THE BRINGER OF GOOD NEWS
14CHAPTER XI. Whereby the Angle at Which Events Present Themselves May Be Varied
15THE END
More from Ernest Bramah
The Secret of the LeagueErnest Bramah11h 32m3.5 (68)$1.99 · $0.00
Max Carrados Mysteries - Complete Series in One VolumeErnest Bramah36h 36m4.2 (233)$2.99 · $0.00
Ernest Bramah - Ultimate Collection: 20+ Novels & Short Stories in One Volume (Annotated)Ernest Bramah43h 36m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Ernest Bramah (Including Max Carrados Mysteries & Kai Lung Fantasy Series) (Annotated)Ernest Bramah82h 5m4.5 (18)$2 · $0.00
MAX CARRADOS - Complete Series: 20+ Mysteries & Detective Stories in One Volume (Annotated)Ernest Bramah36h 36m4.2 (58)$2 · $0.00
THE KAI LUNG FANTASY SERIES (Annotated)Ernest Bramah29h 51m$2 · $0.00
Max CarradosErnest Bramah4h 43m3.8 (1.6K)$1 · $0.00
Four Max Carrados Detective StoriesErnest Bramah3h 17m3.7 (231)$1 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Ernest BramahErnest Bramah43h 31m$2 · $0.00
The Adventures of of Max CarradosErnest Bramah36h 25m3.7 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Ernest BramahErnest Bramah82h4.6 (21)$2 · $0.00
Kai Lung Unrolls His MatErnest Bramah10h 42m4.1 (224)$2 · $0.00
Ernest Bramah - Ultimate Collection: 20+ Novels & Short Stories in One VolumeErnest Bramah43h 38m4.4 (13)$1.99 · $0.00
THE SECRET OF THE LEAGUE (Political Dystopia) (Annotated)Ernest Bramah11h 30m3.5 (145)$0.99 · $0.00
Detective Max Carrados: Four MysteriesErnest Bramah3h 38m3.5 (211)$10 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
The Song of AchillesMadeline Miller11h 15m4.3 (2.3M) · 1012$29 · $0.00
The Left and the LuckyWilly Vlautin6h 40m4.4 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
Hunt of the DragonJuliette Cross9h 46m4.4 (736)$20
Deadly GameChristine Feehan13h 20m4.3 (15.8K)$30
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m4.5 (163.8K)$33 · $0.00
The Leo Tolstoy CollectionLeo Tolstoy9h 1m4.5 (4.9K)$12 · $0.00
Sword and ShadowMichelle Sagara16h 51m4.5 (2.2K)$40 · $0.00
A Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith14h 55m4.4 (577.6K)$33 · $0.00
Dark GuardianChristine Feehan12h 32m4.5 (26.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Neil Gaiman ReaderNeil Gaiman27h 3m4.5 (3.2K)$53 · $0.00
The HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien10h 51m4.4 (4.9M)$12 · $0.00
Bad HabitAlana S. Portero5h 37m4.4 (52.3K)$24 · $0.00
Science Fiction & Fantasy CollectionH. P. Lovecraft16h 32m4.5 (2.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Last GodMichael McClung3h 43m4.5 (493)$5.10 · $0.00
The Undead PoolKim Harrison16h 13m4.4 (34.6K)$33 · $0.00
The Edge of DawnBeverly Jenkins10h 15m4.5 (1.1K)$29 · $0.00
The Tapestry of FateShannon Chakraborty20h 2m4.4 (3.4K)$46 · $0.00
Lost In TranslationAudrey Davis9h 15m4.4 (235)Free
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m4.6 (562)$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m4.6 (264)$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m4.4 (11.8K)$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS & SCREWTAPE PROPOSES A TOAST (Annotated)C. S. Lewis5h 6m4.4 (471K)$2 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m4.4 (12.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m4.3 (45.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Importance of Being Earnest (World's Classics Series)Oscar Wilde4h 10m4.3 (467.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
#IMomSoHardKristin Hensley, Jen Smedley7h 19m4.3 (7.3K)$24 · $0.00
Mixed PlateJo Koy8h 18m4.3 (7.1K)$26 · $0.00
Over the TopJonathan Van Ness5h 50m4.3 (87.3K)$24 · $0.00
It Never EndsTom Scharpling8h 53m4.4 (2.3K)$20 · $0.00
More Tales of the CityArmistead Maupin8h 23m4.3 (22.6K)$26 · $0.00
The Complete Provincial Lady Series - All 5 Novels in One Edition (Illustrated Edition)E. M. Delafield26h 33m4.3 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
You may also like
Alice's Adventures UndergroundLewis Carroll1h 20m4.1 (2.8K)$3 · $0.00
Alice In WonderlandLewis Carroll2h 28m4.2 (566K)$15
Alice’s Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll2h 51m4.2 (533.4K)$7
Conan The Barbarian - All 20 Books in One EditionRobert E. Howard42h 41m4.4 (3K)$2.99 · $0.00
A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS (Sci-Fi Classic)David Lindsay11h 51m3.7 (15.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe44h 46m4.5 (329.2K)$30
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll2h 36m4.2 (795.3K)$15 · $0.00
Peer Gynt - with original colour illustrations by Arthur RackhamHenrik Ibsen7h 7m3.7 (9.7K)$2 · $0.00
Don Quixote (illustrated & annotated) (Annotated)Miguel de Cervantes45h 48m4.3 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The AlchemistPaulo Coelho4h 1m4.1 (3.9M)$23 · $0.00
Pictures From ItalyCharles Dickens9h 15m3.7 (7.3K)$2 · $0.00
Farthest North (The Complete Two-Volume Edition)Fridtjof Nansen31h 27m4.3 (729)$3 · $0.00
The Path to RomeHilaire Belloc9h 59m4.2 (1.2K)$2.30
The Complete Alice's Adventures + Through the Looking Glass (Annotated)Lewis Carroll9h 25m4.3 (635.1K)$0.99 · $0.00
Don QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes1h 31m4.2 (284.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathH. P. Lovecraft4h 41m4.1 (22K)$3 · $0.00
David Blaize and the Blue DoorE. F. Benson3h 49m3.0 (12)$2.30
The Pennyles PilgrimageJohn Taylor2h 8m$2 · $0.00
The 2nd Daws Butler CollectionCharles Dawson Butler6h 30m$17
The Best of AmericaWashington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, O. Henry, others3h 41m3.6 (158)$10