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Burton Watson (1925–2017)

Autor von Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings

34+ Werke 1,909 Mitglieder 21 Rezensionen Lieblingsautor von 3 Lesern

Über den Autor

Burton DeWitt Watson was born in New Rochelle, New York on June 13, 1925. When he was 17 years old, he dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. He experienced Japan through his weekly shore leaves while stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base in 1945. After returning to the United States, he mehr anzeigen received a bachelor's degree in Chinese in 1949 and a master's degree in Chinese in 1951 from Columbia University. He spent time learning Japanese as a graduate student at Kyoto University before receiving a doctorate in Chinese in 1956 from Columbia. He has taught English at Doshisha University in Kyoto and Chinese at Stanford University and Columbia. He became a translator of Chinese and Japanese literature and poetry. His numerous translations included Cold Mountain: 100 Poems by the Tang Poet Han-shan, Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu, and The Tso Chuan: Selections from China's Oldest Narrative History. His collections included Early Chinese Literature, Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century, From the Country of Eight Islands: An Anthology of Japanese Poetry, and The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the 13th Century. He received Columbia University's Translation Center's Gold Medal Award in 1979, the PEN Translation Prize in 1981 and 1995, and the Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation in 2015. He died on April 1, 2017 at the age of 91. weniger anzeigen

Reihen

Werke von Burton Watson

Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings (1964) — Übersetzer — 731 Exemplare
The Lotus Sutra (1993) 340 Exemplare
From the Country of Eight Islands: An Anthology of Japanese Poetry (1981) — Herausgeber; Übersetzer — 105 Exemplare
Chinese Lyricism (1971) 51 Exemplare
The Tso Chuan (1989) 45 Exemplare
Early Chinese Literature (1962) 42 Exemplare
The Essential Lotus (2001) 42 Exemplare
Chinese Rhyme-Prose (1971) 27 Exemplare

Zugehörige Werke

Tao te king (0400) — Einführung, einige Ausgaben18,415 Exemplare
Gespräche (0070) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben6,075 Exemplare
Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra (1972) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben508 Exemplare
The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain (1962) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben477 Exemplare
Sources of Chinese tradition, Vol. 1 (1960) — Herausgeber, einige Ausgaben430 Exemplare
Modern Japanese Literature: From 1868 to the Present Day (1956) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben287 Exemplare
Xun Zi: Basic Writings (1963) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben177 Exemplare
Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings (1964) — Übersetzer — 147 Exemplare
Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty (1993) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben126 Exemplare
Poems of a Mountain Home (1180) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben104 Exemplare
Mo Tzu: Basic Writings (1963) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben103 Exemplare
Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty I (1961) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben91 Exemplare
Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty II (1993) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben62 Exemplare
Ryokan: Zen Monk - Poet of Japan (1977) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben52 Exemplare
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The Selected Poems of Du Fu (2003) — Übersetzer — 30 Exemplare
The Old Man Who Does As He Pleases (1973) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben28 Exemplare
Masaoka Shiki (1998) — Übersetzer — 27 Exemplare
An Introduction to Sung Poetry (1967) — Übersetzer, einige Ausgaben6 Exemplare
Montemora No. 1 — Mitwirkender — 2 Exemplare

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This is the fourth book with Burton Watson in charge of the translation that I read. As I'm absolutely not acquainted with the Chinese language, I'm extremely happy that such jewels were rendered into the english language. For all I know in ancient China heroes were cultural, i.e. no man of war was praised, no person of great conquest. People who set foundations for cultural values and development of civilizational refinement were much respected. Su Tung-P'o was definitely a Confucian ideal: He was punished by the Emperor's ruling party once - by justly siding with the people when his better judgment told him to - and he was right, pardoned later. Yet his forebearance and a sense of righteousness portray a deeply wounded man, whose first beloved wife passed away early. Who was moved from place to place without firm rooting by official governmental decrees. Poems as lifeblood of mawkish uprightness, overcoming the sentiment and moving forth, partially drunk where he reminds of Ommar Khayyam and his praises to wine in the Rubayyat. I envisioned sceneries of his travels in my mind, thinking about all the scrupulously presented annotations by Watson, so that we may acquaint the history and meandres of the times better. A book is an insight into the mind of the author, and a window into his times, all the dust that the dead gathered are alive with poetry. 'Living water needs living fire to boil' - in the words of Su Tung-P'o. Let's share this chalice.… (mehr)
 
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Saturnin.Ksawery | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Jan 12, 2024 |
Pretty accurate translations of the widely temporally spaced source material. A lot of emphasis on Buddhist tales and less on the spirits I'd hoped for.
 
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tsunaminoai | Jul 24, 2023 |
I don't know that I have the energy to write a review like this book *deserves* -- but I'm stunned no one has reviewed it! Just gobsmacked. This is a ~600 page survey of Japanese poetry from (I think) the oldest things there are to the work of poets born well into the 20th century. It feels pretty comprehensive, and it runs from things that are so ... I don't know, elemental ... they're hard to connect with, through loads of haiku, hokku, renga, tanka and so on, loads of which are wonderfully evocative of the natural world, to ... well, very modern stuff. You *won't* love everything presented here, but you *will* come away enriched, thrilled anew with poetry's possibilities, and curious about a culture where poetry seems ... ah, I dunno, *important*? I ordered my copy used, and to my irritation I got a copy with a broken spine, that has chunks of pages falling out. Normally I'd unload a book like that, but this one is so good I'm going to keep it (and probably replace it with a better copy). Get it!… (mehr)
 
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tungsten_peerts | Apr 9, 2023 |
This book contains the "inner chapters," not the entire Chuang Tzu, but generally considered the essential and least corrupt chapters. It's one of my favorite books, and after reading Watson's translation I'm unable to read anyone else's - it's wonderful (and there are quite a few weak versions, and weaker paraphrases). Of the Chinese classics I've read this is not only the most subtle and profound, it's sometimes absolutely hilarious. His parodies of Confucianism are a riot, his magical unrealism is timeless, his man dreaming he's a butterfly - or is it the other way around? - the useless tree that's preserved itself so long by being useless, not like all those fructiferous trees .... It's a rare combination of inane silliness with serious reflections on human nature, existence, nature and metaphysics (if that's the right term).… (mehr)
 
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garbagedump | 2 weitere Rezensionen | Dec 9, 2022 |

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