Two Centuries of Manchu Women Poets

"Exhibiting the deft touch of an experienced translator, Idema has rendered these women’s compositions into exquisite yet accessible language. . . . [This anthology] challenges us to confront and rethink many of the preconceived notions and categories that we have used to analyze topics regarding gender and ethnicity, potentially opening the door for new exciting research in these fields."

"Offers new insights into how these women both accommodated and adapted Chinese poetic conventions to their own situation. The translations are sensitively written and reflect the impressionistic nature, emotionality and poignancy that characterize the oeuvre of these women."

"Idema presents fine translations of the poetry of nineteen Manchu women in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in fourteen chapters, contextualizing each poet and her work by providing vital biographical background. In doing so, Idema offers English readers a fascinating body of materials that invites comparative thinking and discussion on issues of writing, identity, and life experience in relation to gender and ethnicity. . . . The field of women’s literature is much enriched by his wide-ranging scholarship and superb skill in translation."

"This volume is a very welcome addition to the growing body of women’s poetry from late imperial China. Idema’s fine translation makes accessible once again the rich lives, experiences and feelings of poets long forgotten by history."

"Each poem is meticulously handled. . . . And while the text is accessible to a general readership, Idema has equipped the anthology with tools that specialized researchers will appreciate."

"Demonstrating erudition in premodern Chinese literature and a critical perspective that allows him to move beyond the boundaries of one culture, Wilt Idema provides precious materials for historians of Manchu society and culture."