The Phoenix Gone, the Terrace Empty

By Marilyn Chin

Book Overview

Since Milkweed Editions' original publication of The Phoenix Gone, the Terrace Empty, Marilyn Chin has been widely celebrated as a consummate poet of the hybrid experience. At once ancient and contemporary, personal and political, grounded and yet uniquely dazzling, this extraordinary collection blends Asian and Western sensibilities in a pioneering way.

Here, with wit and energy, Chin defines her existence as a first-generation Asian American woman, effectively straddling two cultures. And she spins virtuoso jazz in her juxtaposition of the contemporary with images and metaphors from Chinese tales and classic poems, creating an expansive poetry of self.

Featuring an afterword by the author addressing the collection's effect and the developments in her work since, this edition reintroduces a modern classic to a new generation of readers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571314393
• ISBN13: 9781571314390
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

this is a great book

I just taught this book to an undergraduate class of English majors. The students loved the variety, the political conviction and the rich imagery of these poems. "How I Got That Name" is one of Chin's most anthologized pieces: we began with a deep discussion of that piece as autobiographical material. Poem after poem, the students all found beautiful and interesting passages. "A Portrait of the Self As Nation" is a long poem against the gulf war and was written in 1991-- in the reign of the first George Bush. Now, it reads like a great foreboding. The students loved gems such as "Turtle Soup," "The Floral Apron," "The Song of the Sad Guitar." This is a terrific book.

A beautiful testament to the long history of Chinese poetry

Miss Chin's book of poetry is a work of art in the present day. Crisp images and the rhythms she establishes are a pleasure worth savoring. She manages to place one foot in the modern day American experience while still working and moving in the tradition of Chinese verse. This weaving of cultures is skillfully done. I could almost feel those ancient masters nodding proudly over her accomplishments.