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"This book shows how colloquial Bedouin poetry remains a vibrant art that has manifold modern functions: commenting on world affairs (such as the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq); criticising the domestic policies of Arab states; highlighting poverty, discrimination, the corrupt practices of officialdom, and compliant local media." "Each of the forty-one poems presented within the book is transliterated and translated into English verse, with historical and contextual annotation. The tone is sometimes bitter, sometimes satirical, sometimes scurrilous, and often amusing. The poems are prefaced by an essay on the practice of modern Bedouin poetry." The book is completed by appendices containing the Arabic script versions of the poems, extensive language notes, and a glossary of the vocabulary.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Josie Lancione
reviewed Ya Kundalizza Rays! on October 31, 2012
Ya Kundalizza Rays!
I am giving this four stars because I find the material fascinating, and I find it to be a well-rounded treatment of the stories, their themes, and their cultural context. I would give it a 5-star rating if it didn't require the interest of the reader in its subject matter from the outset... if it could sell Pu Songling's strange tales as a fascinating-enough topic that a general non-fiction audience might want to hook into it.
I understand, of course, that this isn't entirely the intention. This is an academic text, a close reading, and not a mass market docu-drama or anything like that. It's well-written and it fully inhabits the text, and it was an excellent accompaniment to the Tales themselves, which I read in parallel in whatever public domain forms I could find them.
What makes Historian of the Strange so strong is its engagement with the Chinese cultural world that gave rise to these stories. The obsession with obsession, the gender fluidity and anxiety, the romance of the supernatural, and the culture of scholarship and endless annotation... these details brought so much texture to my understanding of the stories, I'm not sure how much I would have appreciated them without it.
The things I could have used a little more of: more discussion of the treatment of these stories in the West. I've had trouble finding the best translations and collections, and a few additional sections or appendixes would have been welcome: one covering the translation issues, and another providing a well-informed source review of the most interesting, most essential, and most infamous stories... I realize this was out of the author's scope, but I do think they might have improved the larger package.
Overall, though, I'm glad I got to read this excellent study, and I had a great time immersing myself in this microcosmic literary world. I hope to keep coming back to Songling's work, and when I do, I'll keep going back to Zeitlin's study, as well.
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Add Ya Kundalizza Rays!, This book shows how colloquial Bedouin poetry remains a vibrant art that has manifold modern functions: commenting on world affairs (such as the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq); criticising the domestic policies of Arab st, Ya Kundalizza Rays! to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Ya Kundalizza Rays!, This book shows how colloquial Bedouin poetry remains a vibrant art that has manifold modern functions: commenting on world affairs (such as the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq); criticising the domestic policies of Arab st, Ya Kundalizza Rays! to your collection on WonderClub |
