Famous People Reading Foreign Poetry

Author: Xi Du
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Reading classics means engaging with the finest souls of humanity, connecting an individual's life to the great tradition. However, due to language barriers, obscure historical contexts, and unique artistic techniques, it is not easy for general readers to understand classic works. Guidance from experts can help us overcome these challenges, broaden our perspectives, inspire our imagination, and lead us into the classics. Therefore, critical essays on classic works are very popular among general readers. Since the 1980s, China has published a large number of series and dictionaries on classic works, many of which have been well-received by readers and remain popular in the market. However, such readings often aim for comprehensiveness but lack precision in selecting original works and critical essays, with brief annotations, making them unsuitable for general readers.
To address this, we have invited the renowned contemporary poet and poetry critic, Mr. Xi Du, to select the best essays from the interpretations of ancient Chinese poetry, prose, modern poetry, and famous foreign poems by prominent modern Chinese writers, poets, and scholars. These selected essays have been compiled together with the original works into eight volumes: Famous Critics on Ancient Poetry, Famous Critics on Tang Poetry, Famous Critics on Tang and Song Ci, Famous Critics on Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Poetry, Famous Critics on Classical Prose (Volume 1), Famous Critics on Classical Prose (Volume 2), Famous Critics on Modern Poetry, and Famous Critics on Foreign Poetry. Detailed annotations have been added to the original works.
The selected poems and prose are timeless masterpieces with established reputations, and the authors of the interpretive essays are among China's top contemporary and modern scholars. These essays are filled with profound wisdom inspired by the encounter between the modern and the ancient, offering outstanding examples for readers to engage with and revitalize classic works from a modern perspective.
The compilation of this series took several years, with every aspect—from selecting the texts to annotating them—carefully crafted. The compilers have a broad vision, and the entire series draws from a wide range of sources, forming a cohesive system. The publication of this series is a significant event in China's literary research field, especially in classical literature studies. It is believed to be warmly welcomed by.