Three Chinese Poets

by Vikram Seth

Book Overview

The three T'ang dynasty poets translated here are among the greatest literary figures of China, or indeed the world. Responding differently to their common times, Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu crystallize the immense variety of China and the Chinese poetic tradition and, across a distance of twelve hundred years, move the reader as it is rare for even poetry to do.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060950242
• ISBN13: 9780060950248
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Translated ideas can impress too!

I picked this book primarily because after reading both verse and prose from the author, I know the translation would make a great reading. It did. I liked the poetry, the ideas, and whatever Chinese poets must have thought about was communicated as well as possible in well-compiled text. I cannot read or understand Chinese, but my Chinese friends found the translations to be inadequate and half-hearted representations of what they described as timeless, classic poetry. Knowing the difficulty in faithfully representing a different culture for an author, and the complexity of translation of any verse, cultures, times and metaphors, I think Vikram Seth as always did a commendable job. For real taste of his poetic genius, read The Golden gate or All you who sleep tonight!