Choosing to Be Simple

Copper Canyon Press previously published Tao Yuanming's work in The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien (2000), translated by David Hinton, which sold over 10,000 copies.

In the middle of his life, Tao Yuanming changed his name to Tao Chien (or Qian, meaning "hiding") when withdrawing to rural life and choosing to avoid the political scene.

Red Pine is regarded as one of the best translators of classic Chinese works

Red Pine’s works appeal to readers interested in poetry, eastern spirituality, meditation, and travel essays

Choosing to Be Simple is a bilingual edition in English and Mandarin Chinese 

Includes an introduction to Tao Yuanming’s life by Bill Porter and maps of Tao Yuanming’s China

Includes 152 poems and two prose pieces written by Tao Yuanming set in chronological order

Notes from Red Pine connect Tao Yuanming’s poetry to events in his life to offer further insight into the poet’s process

Documentary forthcoming 2023: Dancing with the Dead: The Life and Times of Red Pine (expected May 1, 2023), written and directed by Ward Serrill.

Potential audiences: Fans of poetry in translation and nature/eco-poetics; Translators of both poetry and prose; Fans of Chinese history, classic Chinese literature, and/or bilingual poetry editions