Chinese Rhyme-Prose

Fiction & Literature, Poetry, Anthologies
Cover of the book Chinese Rhyme-Prose by Lucas Klein, New York Review Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lucas Klein ISBN: 9789629969301
Publisher: New York Review Books Publication: January 13, 2015
Imprint: New York Review Books Language: English
Author: Lucas Klein
ISBN: 9789629969301
Publisher: New York Review Books
Publication: January 13, 2015
Imprint: New York Review Books
Language: English

Selected as one of the sixty-five masterpieces for the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works

The fu, or rhyme-prose, is a major poetic form in Chinese literature, most popular between the 2nd century b.c. and 6th century a.d. Unlike what is usually considered Chinese poetry, it is a hybrid of prose and rhymed verse, more expansive than the condensed lyrics, verging on what might be called Whitmanesque. The thirteen long poems included here are descriptions of and meditations on such subjects as mountains and abandoned cities, the sea and the wind, owls and goddesses, partings and the idle life.

Burton Watson is universally considered the foremost English-language translator of classical Chinese and Japanese literature for the past five decades. Gary Snyder calls him a “great and graceful scholar,” and Robert Aitken has written that “Burton Watson is a superb translator because he knows what literature is.” Here his seemingly effortless translations are accompanied by a comprehensive introduction to the development and characteristics of the fu form, as well as excerpts from contemporary commentary on the genre. A path-breaking study of pre-modern Chinese literature and an essential volume for poetry readers, the book has been out of print for decades. For this edition, Lucas Klein has provided a preface that considers both the fu form and Watson’s extraordinary work as a whole.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Selected as one of the sixty-five masterpieces for the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works

The fu, or rhyme-prose, is a major poetic form in Chinese literature, most popular between the 2nd century b.c. and 6th century a.d. Unlike what is usually considered Chinese poetry, it is a hybrid of prose and rhymed verse, more expansive than the condensed lyrics, verging on what might be called Whitmanesque. The thirteen long poems included here are descriptions of and meditations on such subjects as mountains and abandoned cities, the sea and the wind, owls and goddesses, partings and the idle life.

Burton Watson is universally considered the foremost English-language translator of classical Chinese and Japanese literature for the past five decades. Gary Snyder calls him a “great and graceful scholar,” and Robert Aitken has written that “Burton Watson is a superb translator because he knows what literature is.” Here his seemingly effortless translations are accompanied by a comprehensive introduction to the development and characteristics of the fu form, as well as excerpts from contemporary commentary on the genre. A path-breaking study of pre-modern Chinese literature and an essential volume for poetry readers, the book has been out of print for decades. For this edition, Lucas Klein has provided a preface that considers both the fu form and Watson’s extraordinary work as a whole.

More books from New York Review Books

Cover of the book The Box of Delights by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Back by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Makers of Modern Architecture, Volume II by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Conversations with Beethoven by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Girlfriends, Ghosts, and Other Stories by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Life and Fate by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Masscult and Midcult by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Poison Penmanship by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Interior Landscape: Classical Tamil Love Poems by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Unpossessed by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Maqroll's Prayer and Other Poems by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book A Game of Hide and Seek by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book A Visit to Don Otavio by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The New York Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick by Lucas Klein
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy