Mrs Kei-kung is a thoroughly modern woman and she introduces Kao-tai, a 10th century Chinese mandarin marooned in modern day Munich by his time machine, to the joys of modern sex and champagne. However everything else he encounters is not to his taste. In his letters back to his friend in the 10th century Middle Kingdom, he expresses his horror at the noise, the stench and filth of the 20th century civilisation. For Kaotai the invention and conveniences of modern technology are trifles compared with the pollution and lack of order in a society where women (who have mountain-ous breasts) presume to talk and think like men. Yet he eventually does find some comfort in the mo-te shang dong (champagne), of which he drinks great quantities and in the arms of Mrs. Kei-kung.
- „Letters back to Ancient China” is one of the most successful German novels of the 20th-century with well over 2 million copies sold.
Herbert Rosendorfer was born in 1934. His first novel „Der Ruinenbaumeister” (1969) was a critical and commercial success and is regarded by many critics as one of the masterpieces of German twentieth century fiction. It was published in English 1992. This was followed by „Stephanie” in 1995, which was shortlisted for the Schlegel-Tieck Translation Prize. Herbert Rosendorfer has combined a career as a District Court Judge in Munich with the writing of fiction, travel books, and radio and tv plays. His novels have been translated in numerous languages, amongst others in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian.
