Review (PDF) A Little Primer Of Tu Fu
The deepest and most varied of the Tang Dynasty poets, Tu Fu (Du Fu) is, in the words of David Hinton, the “first complete poetic sensibility in Chinese literature.” Tu Fu merged the public and the private, often in the same poem, as his subjects ranged from the horrors of war to the delights of friendship, from closely observed landscapes to remembered dreams, from the evocation of historical moments to a wry lament over his own thinning hair. Although Tu Fu has been translated often, and often brilliantly, David Hawkes’s classic study, first published in 1967, is the only book that demonstrates in depth how his poems were written. Hawkes presents thirty-five poems in the original Chinese, with a pinyin transliteration, a character-by-character translation, and a commentary on the subject, the form, the historical background, and the individual lines. There is no other book quite like it for any language: a nuts-and-bolts account of how Chinese poems in general, and specifically the poems of one of the world’s greatest poets, are constructed. It’s an irresistible challenge for readers to invent their own translations.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: New York Review Books; Revised edition (June 14, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 962996659X
ISBN-13: 978-9629966591
Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #205,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #19 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > Asian > Chinese #45 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Asian > Chinese #82 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > Asian
This book is out of print and almost impossible to find used. A copy recently sold for $170 on ebay. But it is a testament to its high quality that people are willing to spend that much to own it.Tu Fu (AD 712-770) and his contemporary Li Po are the two great masters of Tang Dynasty poetry. To greatly simplify, Li Po is the Taoist free spirit, while Tu Fu is the Confucian, concerned for the welfare of China, from the peasant on up to the emperor. While Li Po's touching and often whimsical accounts of wine and song under moonlight are perennial favorites with audiences around the world, Tu Fu is often considered harder to translate, and hence less accessible to those who do not read Chinese. However, poet and critic Kenneth Rexroth expressed the view that Tu Fu was THE greatest non-epic poet that the world has ever produced, in any language.David Hawkes was for many years a professor of Chinese at Oxford. He has also published what is perhaps the definitive translation of the great Chinese novel _Story of the Stone_ (also known as _Dream of the Red Chamber_). In _A Little Primer of Tu Fu_, Hawkes has taken thirty-five of Tu Fu's most highly regarded poems, and provided for each1. the original Chinese text2. the pronunciation of the text (in Pinyin romanization with tones)3. a note on the "Title and Subject" of the poem, including a discussion of the poem's context in Chinese history and Tu Fu's life4. a discussion of the "Form" of the poem ("regulated verse," "old style" etc.), including meter and rhyme5. a line-by-line "Exegesis" of the poem, which translates each line word-by-word and comments, typically after each couplet, on the word choice, imagery, etc.6.
The Little Book of Circle Processes : A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking (The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series) (Little Books of Justice & Peacebuilding) The Little Book of Horse Racing Law: The ABA Little Book Series (ABA Little Books Series) Primer of Biostatistics, Seventh Edition (Primer of Biostatistics (Glantz)(Paperback)) Primer Diario Nana: Mi primer Diario de Susana (Volume 2) (Spanish Edition) Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases (Primer on Rheumatic Diseases (Klippel)) Primer Diario Rosy: mi primer Diario (Volume 1) (Spanish Edition) A Little Primer of Tu Fu The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas (Little Golden Book) The Little Christmas Elf (Little Golden Book) Little Miss Hug (Mr. Men and Little Miss) The Little Cantonese Cookbook (Little Cookbook) Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine And Culture In Southern California's Little Saigon The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover)) A Little Hungarian Cookbook (Little Cookbook) Mejora tu salud de poquito a poco – Una guía completa de bienestar para ti y tu familia (Serie: Consulta con Doctor Juan) / Improve your Health: Little By Little (Spanish Edition) YEAR of LITTLE LESSON PLANS: 10 Minutes of Smart, Fun Things to Teach Your Little Ones Ages 3-8 Each Weekday The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools: Teaching Responsibility; Creating Caring Climates (The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series) The Little Butt & Thighs Workout Book (Little Book) A Little Giant® Book: Weird & Wacky Facts (Little Giant Books)
