64 Chance pieces by Will Buckingham

A compilation of stories, each correspondent to a hexagram of the I Ching.

I don’t doubt that many of you who are reading this are at least vaguely aware of the “I Ching”, that ancient Chinese book of divination based on binary patterns of “Broken” and “Unbroken” lines that has so obsessed hippies, alternative thinkers and Sinophiles in the West for decades. I find it impossible to imagine someone who has not at least seen some of its hexagrams written upon a decorative Asian trinket such as a wind-chime or a good-luck statue, so prevalent the I Ching seems to be the moment you come in contact with anything vaguely related to China or the “New age”.

However, I suppose that it has never occurred to many people that the I Ching could be anything more than some odd method asking of the universe straightforward questions and getting obscure answers, or a source of decorative motifs for $5 Asian-themed tea coasters. But like many things the I Ching has depths and possibilities that most are unaware of.

Just as the Bible has inspired countless works of Literature that expound on its themes and stories, so have many writers taken the symbolism and mysterious prose of the I Ching and used it as a thematic resource for their own works of literature, usually poetry. This book is a recent example of this genre of literature.

The Author, Will Buckingham, has written this book of short stories that are each inspired by a hexagram of the I Ching. and each of these stories contain a short introduction and footnotes that explore some of the lore of this ancient book, along with bits of Autobiography. These stories vary widely in length, genre, and themes. they are mostly based either in the real world, some of them inspired by events in the authors life. Some are fictionalised retellings of past events or myths, mostly from Chinese history. And some are set in what could be called an alternative historical setting that blends aspects of Pre-republican Chinese culture and government with modern Western technology and culture. Many are somewhat comedic, melancholic, philosophical or just “Slice of life”. There are stories about a grandfather recounting his meeting with a tiger to his grandkid, a “Smile model” who’s life goes downhill after an incident while acting in an advertisement, Emperor Qing deciding to burn as much books as he can, a diviner using the I Ching to identify a mysterious animal, and a man marrying a “Fishwife” while escaping from the consequences of Patricide.

Since there is no real order to the stories, and they are quite short, this is the kind of book that would be enjoyable for busy people, people who are trying to substitute books for scrolling through their phones, or people who just want to pass the time without committing themselves to a novel. It would of course also be a great book for someone interested in the I Ching, especially since it references quite a few different I Ching books and scholars.

That being said, Will Buckingham suggests that his book could be used in conjunction with I Ching divination, as he wrote the stories in such a way that they have some relevance to each hexagram, and so could be used to understand and explore their true meaning. I am uncertain as to how useful this book would be for aiding you in interpreting a I Ching reading, but “Randomly” picking which story to read by casting the Yarrow-sticks or coins of I Ching divination does sound like an enjoyable novelty that could have been thought of, or at least approved of, by a surrealist like Dali or a follower of OuLiPo such as Italo Calvino.