Columbia University Press
Titles appearing in Reference — Research Book News — May 2008
How to read Chinese poetry; a guided anthology.
Ed. by Zong-qi Cai.
Columbia University Press, ©2008 426 p. $32.50 PL2308
978-0-231-13941-0
Cai (Chinese and comparative literature, U. of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign) has created an anthology notable for its ease of use and clear and effective presentation of a large body of material. Over 140 works are included, arranged chronologically into era and genre, from the Xia through the Qing. Each section is authored by a specialist in Chinese literature (they're based at universities in the U.S., Canada, and Singapore) and includes an introduction to the genre and its main poets, followed by the poems. The poems are presented in English, followed by word-for-word translation with the original to demonstrate the poem's structure, and a stylistic analysis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
