Wang Wei has traditionally been considered one of the greatest of Tang dynasty poets together
with Li Bo and Du Fu. This is the first complete translation into English of all of his poems
and also the first substantial translation of a selection of his prose writings. For the first
time readers encountering his work in English translation will get a comprehensive
understanding of Wang Wei's range as a poet and prose writer. In spite of the importance of
Wang Wei's poetry in the history of Chinese literature no one has attempted a complete
translation of all of his surviving poems moreover even though he was known for his skill in
composing prose pieces in the recognized genres of his day (especially as a writer of
commissioned compositions) very little of his prose has been translated. This translation will
enable students with limited or no knowledge of Chinese to get a full sense of Wang Wei's
compositional range. Moreover since Wang Wei was known for being a devout Buddhist having the
complete poetry available in reliable translation as well as all of the prose that is connected
to the Buddhist faith will be useful to students of Chinese religion.
