Ebook The Banished Immortal A Life of Li Bai Li Po Ha Jin Books
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From the National Book Award-winning author of Waiting a narratively driven, deeply human biography of the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai—also known as Li Po
In his own time (701–762), Li Bai's poems—shaped by Daoist thought and characterized by their passion, romance, and lust for life—were never given their proper due by the official literary gatekeepers. Nonetheless, his lines rang out on the lips of court entertainers, tavern singers, soldiers, and writers throughout the Tang dynasty, and his deep desire for a higher, more perfect world gave rise to his nickname, the Banished Immortal. Today, Bai's verses are still taught to China's schoolchildren and recited at parties and toasts; they remain an inextricable part of the Chinese language.
With the instincts of a master novelist, Ha Jin draws on a wide range of historical and literary sources to weave the great poet's life story. He follows Bai from his origins on the western frontier to his ramblings travels as a young man, which were filled with filled with striving but also with merry abandon, as he raised cups of wine with friends and fellow poets. Ha Jin also takes us through the poet's later years—in which he became swept up in a military rebellion that altered the course of China's history—and the mysterious circumstances of his death, which are surrounded by legend.
The Banished Immortal is an extraordinary portrait of a poet who both transcended his time and was shaped by it, and whose ability to live, love, and mourn without reservation produced some of the most enduring verses.
Ebook The Banished Immortal A Life of Li Bai Li Po Ha Jin Books
"Prior to reading this biography, I had know idea about Li Bai, one of China's greatest poets. The book is very well written and give the reader a fairly clear picture of what life was like in China in 700 A.D. The narration covers all of the poet's life from childhood to his death. Many of Li Bai's poems are presented throughout the book and are written in Chinese and in English. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope you do too."
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The Banished Immortal A Life of Li Bai Li Po Ha Jin Books Reviews :
The Banished Immortal A Life of Li Bai Li Po Ha Jin Books Reviews
- Quite a speedy biography of a genius more than twelve hundreds years ago! Based on the facts in the remaining records and filling the gap with writer’s imaginations faithfully to the poet’s character and his ages. Quite an attempt to globalize a Chinese poet versed in a a short and handy book.
- A grand union of Tang history, culture, and poetry rendered in breathtakingly beautiful translation, this book brought me as much joy and peace as anything I have read in a very long time. The writing is lively, penetrating, and honest about its subject.
- Li Bai lived from 701 to 762 A.D. during the Tang dynasty, when China was already an ancient society. An indication of his longstanding popularity, which survived dynastic change, wars, and revolutions, is that Mao Zedong loved his poetry and Li Bai’s poems are still recited by Chinese schoolchildren today.
Over the centuries, biographical accounts of the poet have been written, but the reality is that almost everything known about him is based on his poems. He wrote thousands if not tens of thousands of poems, epics, songs, and folk poems, but only a small fraction – perhaps 10 percent – have survived. The most recent biography is by National Book Award winner and Boston University professor Ha Jin, entitled “The Banished Immortal A Life of Li Bai.â€
It’s a stunning work. Using what few biographical sources that exist and Li Bai’s poetry, Ha Jin has crafted a masterful, highly readable account that brings the poet to vivid life. That’s quite an accomplishment for the biography of a man who lived 1,300 years ago.
Born in a western province, Li Bai faced what every poet in China faced for millennia – to get ahead, you have to work for the government. To work for the government, you had to take the qualifying literary examinations. If you came from a lower-class family or the distant provinces, you were not going to be allowed to take the examinations. Your alternative was to find a high-enough government figure who could promote you and help you find a government position.
The account is meticulous and thorough. The author follows Li Bai through the 61 years of his life his father’s determination that this son would become a poet and government official; his wanderings across China (and Li Bai was nothing if not a wanderer); his repeated and frustrated attempted to gain an official post; his swordsmanship talents; his engagement with Daoism (most court poets followed Confucianism); and more.
Li Bai was so good and so recognized as original (he didn’t write the formalized court poetry that all educated poets wrote) that he evoked jealousy on a regular basis. Original talent felt threatening, and he was blocked, ignored, privately ridiculed, and lied about for most of his adult life. For a short time, he did work as a poet in the emperor’s academy, but jealousy and his tendency to drink too much led to an end. He did not labor and sweat over his verses; instead, they seemed to flow out of the man effortlessly, like this drinking song still sung in China today
The fine wine of Lanling gives off a fragrance—
Held in a jade bowl. it shines with amber light.
So long as the host can make me drunk,
I’ll have no idea where my hometown is.
He survived because of his friends and the people who loved his poetry. He was becoming well known even in his lifetime, but “well known†didn’t equate to “financially successful.†And when he died, his grave was almost literally lost in the weeds until a monument was built in his honor.
A native of China, Ha Jin is the author of eight novels, four poetry collections, four short story collections, and a collection of essays. He’s received the National Book Award, two PEN/Faulkner awards, the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award, the Asian American Literary Award, and the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. He’s a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and teaches in the creative writing program at Boston University.
“The Banished Immortal†is a remarkable account of a remarkable poet. It is the story of a man’s life, largely drawn from the poems he wrote. And it tells what is still an exciting story. - Remarkable story about a place and time where one could gain fame and power by writing poetry. Sort of like Bob Dylan becoming Secretary of State.
Eeeee - I studied Taoism in college but was not familiar with the poet/wanderer in Ha Jin's biography. I loved seeing the poems in Chinese script along with their translations, although I rarely felt myself moved by the words of the poems themselves.
I admire Ha Jin as a writer/thinker/humanist, and this book was completely rewarding and a fascinating journey into ancient China. It's themes, especially the tension between the desire to contribute to society and the need to get away from society, and the tension between the demands of art and the demands of practical statecraft, are just as applicable today as in 7th C China. - Prior to reading this biography, I had know idea about Li Bai, one of China's greatest poets. The book is very well written and give the reader a fairly clear picture of what life was like in China in 700 A.D. The narration covers all of the poet's life from childhood to his death. Many of Li Bai's poems are presented throughout the book and are written in Chinese and in English. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope you do too.
- I have always liked Li-Bai, a wonderful poet. This is the first time I read about his life a fight to get a place at court. I guess poetry should only be judged by poems, not the life of poets. He drank a lot, more than usual, much more, we are told. It does not detract from his poems, only from his life.
- This biography was difficult to put down. I felt as if I was getting to know the great poet Li Bai personally---as if I had spent many hours sitting and drinking in a tavern listening to him tell his story and chant some of his poems. Thank you Ha Jin for this wonderful book. A great read!
