In this volume, leading scholars of early Chinese literature offer new, multi-faceted research on the ancient anthology Lyrics of Chu (Chuci). Through meticulous textual analysis, richly annotated translations, and theoretical reflection, they challenge millennia-old assumptions about China’s arch-poet Qu Yuan (ca. 300 BCE), his authorship, and the composition of the lyrics attributed to him, above all the “Li sao” (Encountering Sorrow), ancient China’s grandest poem.
Thoroughly original insights into the poetics and aesthetics of Chuci poetry reopen these resplendent lyrics to a fresh appraisal of their captivating qualities and their foundational significance for the Chinese literary tradition.

Contributors are: Lucas Rambo Bender, Heng Du, Michael Hunter, Martin Kern, Paul W. Kroll, Stephen Owen.