Wai-lim Yip is renowned for his influential poetic theory that bridges modernist poetry with Taoist aesthetics, particularly in Taiwan. His work delves into the profound connections between literary traditions and philosophical currents, offering readers a unique perspective on cross-cultural literary dialogue. Yip's scholarship is celebrated for its intellectual depth and its ability to synthesize seemingly disparate literary and philosophical systems.
In this collection of essays, poet and literary critic Wai-Lim Yip calls Western scholarship to account for its misrepresentation of non-Western literature. Using various examples, he exposes the types of distortions that have occurred in the process of translating from one language to another.
Focusing on Ezra Pound's translation of the challenging Cathay poems, Wai-lim Yip explores the broader issues of translating from Chinese. The study connects Pound's translation principles to his late pre-Raphaelite influences, providing an in-depth analysis of his techniques. Yip's examination highlights the complexities and nuances involved in capturing the essence of the original texts, offering valuable insights into both Pound's work and the art of translation itself.