Robert Hans van Gulik was born in Holland in 1910 and died in The Hague at the age of 57. Van Gulik was raised in Java where he became obsessed with all things Chinese. He translated ancient texts and explored esoteric Buddhism. In 1935 he was given his first diplomatic assignment to the Dutch embassy in Tokyo. During his service m Japan he began the celebrated Judge Dee series, first translating an authentic Chinese 16th century detective novel, Dee Goong An, then continuing with original works using Judge Dee and his assistants as his principal characters. The series has attained international fame.