Dead Water
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Summary
Editor's review
The collection traces Wen Yiduo's spiritual trajectory from the passionate "Red Candle" period to his return home, when he confronted reality and fell into anguish and contemplation. The poems range from the severe self-interrogation of "Confession" to the tender, fatherly mourning of "Perhaps," showing diverse styles and abundant feeling. Reading "Dead Water" is not only to appreciate its strict prosody, rich diction, and startling imagery, but also to touch, through its lines, the ardent heart, bewildered thought, and unyielding will of an intellectual amid sweeping historical change. It offers a precious key to understanding the intellectual currents and the spiritual predicament of Chinese literati in the 1920s.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the history of modern Chinese poetry
- Literature lovers seeking a deeper understanding of Wen Yiduo's poetic art and thought
- Writers studying poetic composition who wish to learn prosody and the craft of imagery
- Readers curious about the intellectual journey of Chinese writers since the May Fourth era
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining reading
- Readers alienated by modern poetry that is allusive and densely symbolic
Reading tips
- Read alongside Wen Yiduo's biography, especially his experiences after returning from study abroad, to understand the emotional shifts in the collection
- Focus on representative works such as "Dead Water," "Confession," and "Discovery" to see his "three beauties" theory in practice
- Try reading aloud to feel the careful arrangement of syllable and rhythm and the musicality of the poems
About the publisher
Jilin Publishing Group Co., Ltd. focuses on fine fiction, social sciences, literary appreciation, history, classical poetry and classical literature, with 1,141 titles in the library. Representative books include Dan Simmons's science fiction novels Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, Freud's works on psychology and society such as The Ego and the Id and Group Psychology, and classical literature ranging from Laozi and Zhuangzi, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Three Hundred Poems of the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties to Lü Simian's A General History of China. Its authors include Dan Simmons, Freud, Laozi, Lü Simian, Hengtang Tuishi, Pan Zhenhua, Li Yi and Guan Shanming, reflecting a balance between translated works and domestic editions. Public information is limited; the above is based on the library's holdings.
Contents
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第十二章
- 第十三章
FAQ
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About the author
Wen Yiduo, originally named Wen Jiahua, was a native of Xishui, Hubei, and a modern Chinese poet, scholar, and democratic fighter, as well as a representative poet of the Crescent Moon School. He studied at Tsinghua in his early years and later went to the United States to study fine arts. In 1923 he published the poetry collection Red Candle, and he also wrote Dead Water. He taught successively at Wuhan University, Qingdao University, Tsinghua University, and Southwest Associated University, devoting himself to research on the Songs of Chu, the Book of Songs, and Tang poetry. His scholarly works, including New Interpretations of the Classics and Miscellaneous Discussions on Tang Poetry, combine textual scholarship with literary grace, and lecture notes compiled from his teaching also circulated widely. His poems are marked by attention to meter and imagery and by deep feeling, and they have had a profound influence on the history of modern Chinese poetry. On July 15, 1946, he was assassinated by Kuomintang agents in Kunming at the age of forty-seven.
