I prefer to read the absurdity of poetry

【Editor's Recommendation】
💫This introductory course on modern poetry from a veteran poet offers a profound and accessible interpretation of contemporary poetry, using the absurdity of poetry to overcome the absurdity of everyday life. Veteran poet Liao Weitang has published over ten poetry collections, won numerous literary awards, and is active on the forefront of modern Chinese poetry. He is also a professional poetry researcher, familiar with classical poetry and possessing extensive experience reading and writing modern poetry.
In this book, he uses the dual perspectives of a poet and a researcher, combining the two dimensions of classical poetry and modern poetry, to lead readers to re-understand the relationship between modern poetry and contemporary life, and the aesthetics of their mother tongue, and to reshape the power of poetry.
"We don't have to be poets, but we should be people with poetry in our hearts"—using modern poetry to polish our mother tongue and restore the brilliance of everyday language. Poetry is the alchemy of everyday language. Modern poets create new languages, revolutionizing outdated discourse and deconstructing entrenched language habits, allowing our mother tongue to revitalize and, in turn, renew our expressive and aesthetic capacities.
Poetry is also the alchemy of daily life. It brings a look of wonder, reveals the inherent magic and richness of the world, preserves the unchanging and precious eternity in the ever-changing contemporary life, and polishes the beauty in our hearts, whether fragile or sensitive.
Poetry is a mirror reflecting back on life; reading poetry helps us withstand the harshness of reality—why read poetry? Because poetry is inextricably linked to our destiny. Is poetry too distant from life? Quite the contrary. Poetry isn't a distant place; it's right before our eyes, in the present moment. Poetry is by no means a romantic escape from reality, nor do poets abandon or transcend it. Rather, they reflect reality in an unavoidable way, transforming it into poetry.
Poetry cannot withstand a tank, but poetry builds far more within us, in our nation's language and spirit, than a tank can destroy.
🌊From Celan, Milosz, Auden to Bei Dao, Zhang Zao, Xia Yu... It is not only 30 intensive poetry lectures, covering all the classics of modern poetry; it is also a unique selection of poetry, where the stars of talented poets shine, from the hall-level poets of the 20th century to the AI ​​that can write poetry in the 21st century; from the ancient eternal dilemma of mankind to the cutting-edge imagination of science fiction; from love, marriage, death to the meaning of life... Each chapter starts from the key issues and important perspectives in modern poetry, and rebuilds the connection between poetry and life, beauty and daily life.
If you are an experienced reader of modern poetry, you can gain a unique new perspective and get to know a series of classic poems and poets in a new way; if you have little exposure to modern poetry, this is an excellent introduction to poetry. Not only can you appreciate the charm of classic poems, but you can also learn how to understand a good poem and find a new relationship between poetry and yourself.
To be a sober modern person, one must first understand modern poetry—using modern poetry to comfort modern homesickness, reclaiming the 21st-century moon from Li Bai's hand. This sentiment exists both in ancient and modern times, yet it differs from the past and present. For modern people, melancholy extends beyond withered vines, old trees, and crows; nostalgia is no longer simply "the moonlight shines brightly before my bed." The countless new challenges of modern life call for fresh poetic expressions. Understanding modern poetry means understanding our current predicaments and the inner light and darkness, allowing us to re-examine the unique spiritual realm of modern people.
From Celan's shadow of the Holocaust to Xia Yu's marital confusions to Borges's transcendental time and space... Unlike classical melancholy, each poet is a pioneer in a new human condition. Through these poems, you feel as if you have entered a bizarre museum of the modern mind, where every fragment reflects a glimmer of noble and eternal light that belongs only to humanity.
💥Based on the popular "Kanlixiang" audio course, this book has been reorganized and meticulously polished for a more practical reading experience. Liang Wendao, Ma Jiahui, Huang Canran, Luo Yijun, Huang Canran, Zhou Yunpeng, Zhong Lifeng, and Qi Jinnian jointly recommend: Is modern poetry really that difficult to understand? Is modern poetry simply prose divided into lines? Are modern poetry and classical poetry incompatible?
From audio programs to paper classrooms; starting from misunderstandings and starting with poetry; poets and poems, neither humble nor arrogant, accompany you in this world full of contradictions, and establish a truly equal relationship between poetry and readers.
From the literary and poetry circles to the translation and music circles, a number of cultural celebrities have strongly recommended it.
【Expert Recommendation】
Brother Liao Weitang is a poet and critic I deeply admire. He writes poetry with one hand and criticism with the other, both of which are equally brilliant. Most importantly, his understanding of poetry is far more than just modern poetry. He is able to share the current state of Chinese poetry and the lessons that can be learned from poems from around the world. Furthermore, he also studies classical Chinese poetry, providing a comprehensive understanding of poetry.
— Liang Wendao: I once wrote a bunch of poems, but never published them. I showed them to Liao Weitang. He didn't say they were good, and I think he felt they weren't. I'm sorry it took him so long to write this book, a book to teach people how to appreciate and read poetry. If I had seen it earlier, I would have definitely written well, and he would have definitely praised it.
Ma Jiahui and Liao Weitang bring poetry, modern poetry, and modern Chinese poetry, to life in such a captivating and enchanting way that they bring it back to life. They explore cause and effect, the essence of things, and how the poets of this civilization, whose hearts have wandered for thousands of years over the past century.
———Luo Yijun and Liao Weitang are very familiar with the new poetry in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan since the beginning of modern literature. I think they are the best people to popularize modern poetry.
Huang Canran and Liao Weitang are two outstanding contemporary Chinese poets whom I admire and respect. They write excellent poems and possess a profound poetic scholarship. Listening to them discuss modern poetry will surely open your eyes and bring you a deep understanding.
—Zhou Yunpeng Reading Weitang's books, I too became a person on the move, a sober and free wanderer, finding a rhythm between certainty and uncertainty. However, it is precisely this uncertainty that gives me some enlightenment; while certainty gives me openness and the disappearance of mystery.
—Zhong Lifeng: This book is a precious gift for anyone with curiosity and a keen eye for aesthetics. It may open up a unique perspective for you, allowing you to rethink the beauty of modern poetry and appreciate the universality of poetry in life.
——Qiujinnian【Introduction】
"How reality loves, poetry loves above that,
Just as reality is broken, poetry was broken before that.
Poetry is happier than happiness and more unfortunate than misfortune.
Reading poetry is to confront the absurdity of reality with the absurdity of poetry, and to call upon the eternity of the soul with the eternity of poetry.
Thirty introductory lessons in modern poetry, a journey to polish your language. Renowned poet Liao Weitang leads readers into the heart of modern poetry, deconstructing our everyday language habits and revealing the vast yet often overlooked fertile ground of poetry.
From Celan, Milosz, Auden to Bei Dao, Zhang Zao, Xixi... From the poet's first-hand perspective, explore the shining stars of modern poetry. Focusing on ten misunderstandings of modern poetry, with twenty modern poetic meanings as footnotes, we have selected more than seventy outstanding poems to rediscover the poetic spirit unique to our time with you.

2022-02-01

北京燕山出版社

312

9787540262495