Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
An authoritative new collection by one of China's most lauded poets A leading poet from the Cultural Revolution to the present day, Duo Duo is one of China's most influential contemporary writers. He began writing in the 1970s. His poetic vision matured in Beijing in the 1980s and during his exile in the 1990s following the Tiananmen Square Massacre, finally bursting into full bloom with his return home in 2004.
Responding to the Chinese political landscape with his investigations into language and an idiosyncratic take on the Zen Buddhist tradition, Duo Duo writes poetry for poets. In exacting translations by award-winning translator Lucas Klein, this career-spanning anthology features Duo Duo's entire oeuvre since his return to China, as well as a selection of his early poems, presenting nearly five decades of work from "a resolute seer of some of the most basic, universal human values" (Mai Mang, Neustadt Prize Ceremony).
Synopsis
An authoritative new collection by one of China's most lauded poets While keeping a cautious distance from literary trends and labeling, Duo Duo has emerged as one of the world's preeminent poets. His poems respond to the Chinese political landscape from the Cultural Revolution to the Tiananmen Square tragedy and beyond. Some are written from the vantage point of exile abroad, others in his homeland, but all inscribe an ache for original expression, a sense of place, and the essence of language. In exacting renderings by award-winning translator Lucas Klein, this career-spanning anthology features Duo Duo's entire oeuvre since his return to China in 2004, as well as a representative selection of his earlier poems, presenting nearly five decades of work. This collection traces the evolution, in a particular historical context and cultural tradition, of one of the most vibrant poets at work in the world today.
Synopsis
This authoritative new collection by one of China's most lauded poets is "a thrill to read" (Drew Calvert, Asymptote) While keeping a cautious distance from literary trends and labeling, Duo Duo has emerged as one of the world's preeminent poets. His poems respond to the Chinese political landscape from the Cultural Revolution to the Tiananmen Square tragedy and beyond. Some are written from the vantage point of exile abroad, others in his homeland, but all inscribe an ache for original expression, a sense of place, and the essence of language. In exacting renderings by award-winning translator Lucas Klein, this career-spanning anthology features Duo Duo's entire oeuvre since his return to China in 2004, as well as a representative selection of his earlier poems, presenting nearly five decades of work. This collection traces the evolution, in a particular historical context and cultural tradition, of one of the most vibrant poets at work in the world today.
Synopsis
Longlisted for the 2022 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, this authoritative new collection by one of China's most lauded poets is "a thrill to read" (Drew Calvert, Asymptote) "Words as Grain offers Zen koan-like poems that call for rereading and contemplation. As the poet himself says in 'Reading Great Poems, ' 'let the dialogue between thought and silence continue.' We are fortunate to be a party to this sustained and intense dialogue."--John Bradley, Rain Taxi
While keeping a cautious distance from literary trends and labeling, Duo Duo has emerged as one of the world's preeminent poets. His poems respond to the Chinese political landscape from the Cultural Revolution to the Tiananmen Square tragedy and beyond. Some are written from the vantage point of exile abroad, others in his homeland, but all inscribe an ache for original expression, a sense of place, and the essence of language. In exacting renderings by award-winning translator Lucas Klein, this career-spanning anthology features Duo Duo's entire oeuvre since his return to China in 2004, as well as a representative selection of his earlier poems, presenting nearly five decades of work. This collection traces the evolution, in a particular historical context and cultural tradition, of one of the most vibrant poets at work in the world today.