The Literary Studies Shelf

Poets of the Round Table
Jidi Majia, author
Huang Shaozheng, translator/editor
Regent Press
https://www.regentpress.net
9781587906503, $36.00, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Poets-Round-Table-Conversations-Eco-Writing/dp/15879= 06503

Synopsis: "Poets of the Round Table: Jidi Majia in Conversations with Sixte=
en World Poets on Poetics, Poetry and Eco-Writing" is collection of intervi= ews, spanning eight years, and consists of dialogues with 16 world poets, r= evealing Jidi Majia as an internationalist, well steeped in the played-out = values of the Enlightenment civilization of the West, its latest strands of=
eco-enterprise, land ethics and cultural diversity, modernist poetics and = post-contructionist rhetorics.

In "Poets of the Round Table" we are shown, for the first time, that much o=
f Jidi Majia's theme, thinking and inspiration is drawn from Hispanic, Russ= ian, Eastern European and African literary heritages (in order of importanc=
e and weight to his poetic oeuvre). The questions and answers, taken togeth= er, form a truthful profile of the heart and soul of China's most celebrate=
d ethnic poet who has achieved world renown through his quasi-epic writings=
(running to 200-400 lines) like "I, The Snow Leopard" (2010), "The Great R= iver" (2014), "To Mayakovsky" (2015), "The Belated Dirge" (2016), "The Spli=
t Planet" (2021), "The Promised Land" (2022), etc. in recent years.

The international poets who have been interviewed here are: Simon J. Otiz (= USA); Yevgeny Yevtushenko (Russia); Peter Racz (Hungary); Graham Mort (Engl= and); Adonis (Syria); Tomas Venclova (Lithuania); Chehem Watta (Djibuti); Z= dravka Evtimova (Bulgaria); Mark Tredinnick (Australia); Philippe Tancelin = (France); Yvon Le Men (France); Cassian Maria Spiridon (Romania); Guido Old= ani (Italy); Ataol Behramglu (Turkey); Eduardo Espina (Uruguay); Freddy Nan=
ez (Venezuela).

These are veritably 16 exceptional excerpts of literary history. 16 excepti= onal poets, recalcitrant, dismissive, depressed about the status quo, in a = spirit of mutually affirming comradeship, unveil their intriguing life expe= rience, dubious opinions, political fury, eco-fervor--montages that constit= ute an engaging record of modern poetry, furnishing a valuable look into th=
e minds and work of a wide spectrum of great writers and poets (Non-western=
sources in particular) on earth.

Critique: A seminal, ground-breaking, informative, well organized and prese= nted study, "Poets of the Round Table: Jidi Majia in Conversations with Six= teen World Poets on Poetics, Poetry and Eco-Writing" is ably translated int=
o English for an American readership by Huang Shaozheng and unreservedly re= commended for personal, professional, college, and university library Liter= ary Studies collections in general, and supplemental Contemporary Chinese P= oetry curriculum lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Jidi Majia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jidi_Majia), is o=
ne of the most eminent poets and the sole cultural activist initiating seve= ral cultural events in China today. He was born into a great family of Yi n= obility in the Daliangshan Highland, west of Sichuan Province. With a four-= year formal schooling in Chinese language and world literatures, he graduat=
ed from Southwest Nationalities University. At the age of 24, he was the re= cipient of the highest state honors, much coveted by any would-be literary = aspirants. Instant formal recognition has ensued. Sustainable quality outpu=
t, with over 80 publications of poetry and prose, translated into over 40 l= anguages, home and abroad, distinguishes him as a cultural icon across the =
Yi community (and indeed, the whole ethnic community) as well as one of the=
leading poetic voices of international status in contemporary Chinese poet=
ic writing.

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