Finding them gone : visiting China's poets of the past
(Book)

"Bill Porter has been one of the most prolific translators of Chinese texts, while also developing into a travel writer with a cult following."-The New York Times "Red Pine's out-of-the-mainstream work is canny and clearheaded, and it has immeasurably enhanced Zen/Taoist literature and practice."-Kyoto Journal "Red Pine's succinct and informative notes for each poem are core samples of the cultural, political, and literary history of China." -Asian ReporterTo pay homage to China's greatest poets, renowned translator Bill Porter-who is also known by his Chinese name "Red Pine"-traveled throughout China visiting dozens of poets' graves and performing idiosyncratic rituals that featured Kentucky bourbon and reading poems aloud to the spirits.Combining travelogue, translations, history, and personal stories, this intimate and fast-paced tour of modern China celebrates inspirational landscapes and presents new translations of classical poems.An entertaining storyteller who is deeply knowledgeable about Chinese culture, both ancient and modern, Porter brings the reader into the journey-from standing at the edge of the trash pit that used to be Tu Mu's grave to sitting in Han Shan's cave where the Buddhist hermit "Butterfly Woman" serves tea.Illustrated with over one hundred photographs and two hundred poems, Finding Them Gone combines the love of travel with an irrepressible exuberance for literature.Bill Porter (a.k.a. "Red Pine") is widely recognized as one of the world's finest translators of Chinese religious and poetic texts. His best-selling books include Lao-tzu's Taoteching and The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain. He lives near Seattle, Washington"--,Provided by publisher.