Mark Bender is Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University.
Bender has published translations and studies of Chinese minority
nationality epics and folktales since the early 1980s. The current
volume brings together about 20 Miao (Hmong) epic songs, grouped
into six parts: 'Prelude', 'Song of Gold and Silver', 'Song of the
Ancient Sweet Gum', 'Song of Butterfly Mother,' 'The Great Flood',
and 'Westwards, Upriver'. Historical, geographic, ethnographic,
linguistic, and folkloristic introductions help the reader
understand the internal logic of the songs and the myths, legends,
and folk customs of the Miao. Including ample notes and a selected
bibliography, this is a book for those interested in folklore,
epics, mythology, and ethnography. Summing up: Recommended. --J. W.
Walls, CHOICE
Talk about 'persistent cultures'--this translation of the great
epic, mythic tellings of the Miao/Hmong peoples is a window into a
huge ancient soul of sustainable spirit and practice. Mark Bender's
commentary provides context and details of places and singers that
makes it even richer. This book provides new insights into how
deeply oral recitation and performance can be embedded in a whole
society, and some fresh, stunning stories. --Gary Snyder, author of
Mountains and Rivers Without End
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
