Writing for Cha, Akin Jeje reviews Blue House (Zephyr, 2000) by Bei Dao 北島, transalted by Ted Huters and Feng-ying Ming.

Bei Dao’s memoirs in Blue House are stunning in their modesty, candour and startling clarity. As placid and yet as intense as his poetry, his anecdotes of colleagues, countries, cats, crows and the irrepressibility of expression (artistic and otherwise) mark him as one of the world’s greatest contemporary writers, something that he himself would unassumingly deny.

Follow the link to read the review in full.