Awakened Cosmos

the long version

"Although it tells the tale of an individual's life, this book is no ordinary biography. Awakened Cosmos presents the life and poetry of Tu Fu through the lens of the idea that animated all of his work that a person is a location in which the cosmos can awaken to itself. Each of the nineteen chapters begins with one of Tu Fu's poems, rendered first in literal character-by-character translation, then in translator David Hinton's signature style. Hinton captures the texture and density of the originals while rendering the poems in vivid, accessible English. He then offers a philosophically rich interpretation of each poem, at once delving into the depths of the Daoist and Ch'an influences, context, and subtext of the poems and guiding the reader through Tu Fu's dramatic life--which included everything from serving in the Emperor's court and achieving national prestige as a poet to experiencing warfare, deprivation, and years of refugee wandering. The result is nothing short of remarkable--a biography of the wild Cosmos awakened to itself in one particular human manifestation: the poet Tu Fu"--