{"product_id":"a-phone-call-from-dalian-selected-poems-of-han-dong-paperback","title":"A Phone Call from Dalian: Selected Poems of Han Dong - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDong Han\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eNicky Harman\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a 1989 interview, Han Dong declared that he wrote poetry for nobody, not even himself. He likens the poet to a roofer: I write poetry for the constitution of poetry, just as a roofer gives no thought to who lives in the house whose roof he is covering--he builds to meet the criteria of what a house is. Poetry is not subordinate to purposes beyond itself: its highest purpose is to be without purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSo-and-so's come to a sad end . . .\u003cbr\u003eIn the gloom, he smiles gently, lovingly\u003cbr\u003eAs if to say I can rely on him in this world of nothingness\u003cbr\u003eBut the thing is, we could never be sure\u003cbr\u003e. . .\u003cbr\u003eWe probably should and Possibly. . .\u003cbr\u003eEarnest words like the thread in a foster mother's hand\u003cbr\u003eAs she darns a monk's ragged robe\u003cbr\u003eThat's a story that can't be darned\u003cbr\u003ePoor man --The thread is knotted\u003cbr\u003eBut the knot in my heart tries to pass through the needle's eye\u003cbr\u003eThe tree leaves at dusk have an oily gleam\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHan Dong\u003c\/b\u003e was born in 1961 in Nanjing, where he continues to work as a full-time writer. He is also a respected novelist--his first, published in translation as \u003ci\u003eBanished \u003c\/i\u003e by University of Hawai'i Press, was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicky Harman\u003c\/b\u003e lives in the United Kingdom. Besides translation work, Harman is active on the Chinese translated fiction website Paper Republic and in literary translation organizations in the United Kingdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDong Han: When the Cultural Revolution ended, he studied philosophy at Shandong University, graduating in 1982. He subsequently taught philosophy in colleges in Xi'an and Nanjing, finally relinquishing teaching in 1993. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHan Dong began writing in 1980, and has been a major player on the modern Chinese literary scene since the 1990s. He is well-known as one of China's most important avant-garde poets, and is becoming increasingly influential as an essayist, short story writer and novelist.\u003cbr\u003eNicky Harman: Nicky Harman lives in the UK. She works as a translator as well as teaching on a translation studies course at Imperial College London.\u003cbr\u003eHer other works in progress including the prize-winning novel Gold Mountain Blues\/Jin Shan by Zhang Ling, to be published by Penguin Canada. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 144\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 8 x 5.8 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 03, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51772798075168,"sku":"9780983297017","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/eb34b5f6df2fe96efa67d0954e473485.webp?v=1780414549","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/a-phone-call-from-dalian-selected-poems-of-han-dong-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}