{"id":1663,"date":"2013-02-21T10:30:09","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T02:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/xichuanpoetry.com\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2013-02-19T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2013-02-19T03:25:01","slug":"notes-on-the-mosquito-on-new-books-on-east-asian-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xichuanpoetry.com\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"Notes on the Mosquito on New Books on East Asian Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carla Nappi of New Books in East Asian Studies<\/a> spoke with me (yes, me!) about my translation of Xi Chuan’s Notes on the Mosquito: Selected Poems<\/em><\/a>. Here’s her flattering write-up:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>First things first: this is a book of amazing, beautiful poetry, and you should read it.<\/p>\n

In translating Xi Chuan\u2019s Notes on the Mosquito: Selected Poems<\/em><\/a> (New Directions, 2012), Lucas Klein<\/a> has given readers access to a bilingual journey through more than two decades of Xi Chuan\u2019s evolution as a writer, a person, and a historian. The poems collected and rendered in Notes on the Mosquito<\/em> range from evocative lyric verse about shepherds and loneliness to historical essays that consider the \u201cNew Qing History.\u201d (It is a striking range, and one that was quite unexpected for this reader and historian.) In our conversation, Lucas was generous enough to explain many aspects of his process and approach as a translator, and to read a number of the translated poems collected in the volume. We talked about several aspects of his work, including both practical issues and more conceptual questions about the linking of history and poetry in the writing of a poet and a reader\u2019s approach to the resulting work. It was a pleasure, and I hope you enjoy listening.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click the image above or listen here:<\/p>\n

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here<\/a>. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.<\/span><\/p>\n