Finding Them Gone: Visiting China’s Poets of the Past

In this travelogue, Porter (The Mountain Poems of Stonehouse), who translates Chinese poetry under the name Red Pine, embarks on a self-described pilgrimage to pay his respects to China’s greatest poets at their graves, birthplaces, and residences, as well as other sites significant to them. His 30-day itinerary is ambitious—the days are generally filled from dawn to dark—and were it not for the digestible day-long entries, the book might be as exhausting as the endeavor itself. But the tone is light, and Porter is endlessly optimistic and easy to please: “Next to a bath, my favorite part of the day is a nap.” He is an amiable and knowledgeable guide. The daily entries themselves fit squarely in the travelogue genre, seamlessly combining the details of his routes and encounters with the poets’ biographies, Chinese histories, and a generous helping of the poetry itself. Porter’s knowledge of the subject and his curation of the poems make this book well worth reading for travelers and poetry readers alike. It’s like a survey course in Chinese poetry—but one in which the readings are excellent, the professor doesn’t take himself too seriously, and the field trips involve sharing Stagg bourbon with the deceased. 100 b&w photos. (Nov.)