I am interested in all periods of Chinese poetry, as well as having a more general interest in Chinese fiction ancient and modern. I am based in Exeter, Devon, and I am a member of the Weir Poets group.
In 2008 I published 'Spring in the Ruined City' a selection of poems of the Tang poet Du Fu. I decided to focus on the short but intense period of his mid-life when some of his greatest poems were written. Readers who consider themselves brave might wish to read his two most famous long poems, as previous translators have tended to avoid these, or reduce them to mere extracts.
A revised edition was published in August 2009. Further translations of Du Fu have appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation (Transplants, Third Series, No. 13).
Spring in the Ruined City
Mouse over the back cover.....
“Du Fu, one of the world’s major poets, has been handsomely served in this superbly produced book. Jonathan Waley has caught every facet of the original in his elegant translations - the pathos, the honesty, the rueful lyric gift - and provided clear contexts to help the readers find themselves in these turbulent years during the eighth century AD. Facing-page calligraphy entices one who knows no Chinese to pick out characters for ‘tree’ or ‘person’ or ‘ spring’. ”
Harry Guest
Spring in the Ruined City is published by Shearsman, and a sample of it can be downloaded from www.shearsman.com or purchased from the Shearsman Store.
Spring in the Ruined City: Paperback, 112pp, 8.5x5.5ins, £8.95 / $15 ISBN 9781848610002 revised 2009