10 . Robert was born on August 9, 1910 in the Netherlands. His mother came from a family of musicians and piano manufacturers, a fact that greatly influenced Robert’s life. His father was a physician in army, a position which required frequent foreign postings. The family stayed in various areas of East Asia for most of Robert’s youth. This experience contributed to his appreciation for cultures and mastery of several languages.

Robert was a hardworking academic, collector of art and manuscripts, and translator of ancient writings. He studied and trained to become a master musician on the Chinese guqin, and eventually wrote two books on the instrument. Similarly, his skills as an artist in the traditional Chinese style and knowledge of calligraphy were unparalleled. He wrote and published a number of non-fiction, scholarly articles and books on Chinese music, art, and literature, as well as Chinese culture and folk legends.

In 1940, Robert came across a little-known and anonymous (匿名的)18th-century Chinese novel that would take his career down an unplanned pathway and result in the public fame he never anticipated. The novel, titled Four Great Strange Cases of Empress Wu’s Reign, was a fictional account of the deeds of Judge Dee, one of the heroes of traditional Chinese detective fiction, and was set in the 7th-century Tang Dynasty. Fascinated, Robert not only translated the novel into English, he also did some research on the history of Chinese Penal Code and other legal literature of the period. It was not until 1949 that Robert was able to publish his translation —Dee Goong An: Three Murder Cases Solved by Judge Dee. Robert’s Chinese mysteries comprise over 10 novels and short-story volumes, recording the career of Chinese detective called Di Renjie. Interestingly, the tales first found fame in oriental (东方的)editions, before being translated into English in 1957.

Through all the novels by Robert, he impressively brings to life the sights and sounds of daily Chinese life in the past. His passionate devotion and respect for the Chinese culture was never discounted, yet he also appreciated the purpose of fiction.