You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
The best biography of an ancient poet I've ever read. A more in-depth review to come, but well worth the read for anyone interested in Chinese poetry or history.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I really enjoyed the translation here, and appreciate the history, though this was not my favorite of Ha Jin's books.
Ha Jin does a admirable job of presenting the facts of Li Bai’s life while also telling the reader the context of these facts and whether or not they should be trusted. At first I thought it would be tough to have a lot of information on an 8th century poet, however Ha Jin compiles Bai’s life into a book that is easy to follow and understand. Even if you know nothing about China at that time, you still understand Li Bai.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Maybe not the most academic book, but this gave a great vision of China during the Tang era. I would have liked a bit more about *why* Bai's poetry was so great, but that might be a weakness of the vast cultural distances between the times and places.
Ha Jin does a admirable job of presenting the facts of Li Bai’s life while also telling the reader the context of these facts and whether or not they should be trusted. At first I thought it would be tough to have a lot of information on an 8th century poet, however Ha Jin compiles Bai’s life into a book that is easy to follow and understand. Even if you know nothing about China at that time, you still understand Li Bai.