The poems of two of China's most influential classical poets: Tu Fu,
called "China's Shakespeare" (BBC), and Li Po, the subject of Ha Jin's
The Banished Immortal and "China's most beloved poet" (The New
Yorker)
A Penguin Classic
Li Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted friends who are
traditionally considered to be among China's greatest poets. Li Po, a
legendary carouser, was an itinerant poet whose writing, often dream
poems or spirit-journeys, soars to sublime heights in its descriptions
of natural scenes and powerful emotions. His sheer escapism and joy is
balanced by Tu Fu, who expresses the Confucian virtues of humanity and
humility in more autobiographical works that are imbued with great
compassion and earthy reality, and shot through with humour. Together
these two poets of the T'ang dynasty complement each other so well that
they often came to be spoken of as one - 'Li-Tu' - who covers the whole
spectrum of human life, experience and feeling.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of
classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700
titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works
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notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
