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siria 's review for:
Li Bai (also sometimes Anglicised as Li Po) was a major poet of the Tang Dynasty, whose work is still a cultural touchstone in China today although he's a fairly obscure figure in the West. I knew nothing more about Li Bai before I began Ha Jin's biography of him than his name. Ha Jin does a good job in conveying Li Bai's gregarious nature and his travels, and writes with clear affection about his subject. However, I found myself wishing for a little more sense of how Li Bai's fame finally grew and more of a sense of how his work has been so influential on later Chinese culture.
Ha Jin includes translations of a number of Li Bai's works throughout. Some other reviews that I've read praise them for their fidelity to Li Bai's verse; not reading Chinese, I have no way of assessing that myself. I can say that the imagery and voice of Li Bai's poetry must come through stronger in the original, because I can't say that any of the imagery I read here has really stuck with me.
Ha Jin includes translations of a number of Li Bai's works throughout. Some other reviews that I've read praise them for their fidelity to Li Bai's verse; not reading Chinese, I have no way of assessing that myself. I can say that the imagery and voice of Li Bai's poetry must come through stronger in the original, because I can't say that any of the imagery I read here has really stuck with me.