Grading of Poets

Zhong Rong ranked 122 poets into three grades, creating China's first book of poetic criticism. Sharp, opinionated and elegant, it explains where poetry comes from and judges each poet's style and origins. This is a complete new English translation, with names in modern pinyin and the text rendered as plain, readable English prose. It is a book to dip into: short entries, sharp judgements and many quoted lines, a conversation with the best readers of Chinese poetry. Traditional Chinese criticism was written by poets for poets, and it is full of anecdotes, quotations and memorable verdicts that bring the poems and poets to life. It is an ideal book for curious readers who want to explore Chinese literature and thought beyond the few famous titles, in a clear modern English version.