The spirit of poetry has consistently been an aspect of civilization. Two kinds of good poetry are possible, namely the poetry of written words and the poetry of behavior, of which the latter is more important. Why? Because the former is derived from the latter. A number of poets may feel that behaving poetically is difficult, so they choose the former in isolation from the former, but this would leave them with nothing but written technique.
This anthology of poems in English translation was prepared by the American poet/ sinologist Denis Mair. It gathers poems written by Chinese-speaking poets who came to America at various times over the past 40 years. It focuses on poets who have lived under different social systems and reveals their thoughts as they grapple with matters of immigrant psychology, identity and homesickness. This body of work has been compiled into an English-language volume, in hopes that American readers can get an idea of how Chinese emigré poets approach and articulate their experiences of modern life......