Tao Te Ching - Books Babb.no

Paperback, 114 pages

English language

Published Oct. 19, 1998 by Shambhala.

ISBN:: 978-1-57062-395-0
OCLC Number:: 40455452

No other English translation of this greatest of the Chinese classics can match Ursula Le Guin's striking new version. Le Guin, best known for thought-provoking science fiction novels that have helped to transform the genre, has studied the Tao Te Ching for more than forty years. She has consulted the literal translations and worked with Chinese scholars to develop a version that lets the ancient text speak in a fresh way to modern people, while remaining faithful to the poetic beauty of the work. Avoiding scholarly interpretations and esoteric Taoist insights, she has revealed the Tao Te Ching's immediate relevance and power, its depth and refreshing humor, in a way that shows better than ever before why it has been so much loved for more than 2,500 years. Included are Le Guin's own personal commentary and notes on the text. This new version is sure to be welcomed by …

No other English translation of this greatest of the Chinese classics can match Ursula Le Guin's striking new version. Le Guin, best known for thought-provoking science fiction novels that have helped to transform the genre, has studied the Tao Te Ching for more than forty years. She has consulted the literal translations and worked with Chinese scholars to develop a version that lets the ancient text speak in a fresh way to modern people, while remaining faithful to the poetic beauty of the work. Avoiding scholarly interpretations and esoteric Taoist insights, she has revealed the Tao Te Ching's immediate relevance and power, its depth and refreshing humor, in a way that shows better than ever before why it has been so much loved for more than 2,500 years. Included are Le Guin's own personal commentary and notes on the text. This new version is sure to be welcomed by the many readers of the Tao Te Ching as well as those coming to the text for the first time.

1 edition

Apollo reviewed Tao Te Ching by Ursula K. Le Guin

An Approachable Translation

5 stars

I first read Le Guin's version of the Tao Te Ching years ago and it was a formative text for me. Revisiting it today with a better understanding of her approaches and philosophy allowed me to appreciate it much more. She kept the text simple and direct, and it's easy to take in the meaning without attempts at needlessly flowery language.

brenticus reviewed Tao Te Ching by Ursula K. Le Guin

None

5 stars

Le Guin's translation of the Tao Te Ching is lovely. She keeps a lot of the poetic obscurity—which is also where a lot of insight is—and she doesnt shy from presenting an interpretation of the work as a whole, which strengthens the presentation greatly. There are fewer contradictions and odd asides, and there are plenty of notes in places where Le Guin took liberties, explaining both what she did and why she felt it was necessary.

Any edition of the Ching is lovely to read through, but Le Guin's strikes a balance between poetry and teaching that feels just right. Absolutely fantastic.

Subjects

Taoism
Philosophy
Religion - World Religions
PHI
PHI003000
Eastern
Religion / Taoism
Eastern - General