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 More Was Lost by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Outward Room by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Drafts, Fragments, and Poems by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Glory of the Empire by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Slow Days, Fast Company by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book A Meaningful Life by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Charlotte Sometimes by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Secret Commonwealth by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book My Friends by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Memoirs from Beyond the Grave by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book Our Spoons Came from Woolworths by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Jokers by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book An Ermine in Czernopol by Lucas Klein
Cover of the book The Fox in the Attic 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