RIVER OF INK: LITERATURE, HISTORY, ART
Book ID/图书代码： 03371014B68152
English Summary/英文概要： Thomas Christensen’s previous title 1616: The World in Motion looked at a single year in the age of early maritime globalism--PW gave it a starred review, calling it "a stunning overview of the nascent modern world." By contrast his new gorgeously illustrated River of Ink ranges widely across time and cultures and offers what amounts to a magisterial history of literacy. The book’s title refers to the sacking of Baghdad in 1258 when the Tigris ran black with the ink of books flung into the water by Mongol invaders. Other essays range from the writings of prehistoric Chinese cultures known only through archaeology to the state of book reviewing in the US today to the heroic efforts of contemporary Afghanis to keep the legacy of their ancient culture alive under the barrage of endless war. Christensen’s encyclopaedic knowledge of both world art and a vast understand of literature allows him to move easily from a discussion of the invention of moveable type in Korea to Johannes Kepler’s search for the harmony of the spheres to the strange journey of an iron sculpture from Benin to the Louvre. Other essays cover the Popul Vuh of the Maya as exemplum of translation, the pioneering explorations of the early American naturalist John Bartram, the balletic works of Louis-Ferdinand Celine. It is Christensen’s unparalleled gift to seemingly see the world whole and to offer a wealth of absolutely vital connections adequate to our position as citizens of an ever more rapidly globalizing world.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： Thomas Christensen的前一部作品取名为《1616: The World in Motion》，关注了在大航海时代初期的某一年，PW对于这部分给予了高度的评价。这次的新作品则年代跨度极大，几乎包容了整个文明史。书的标题意在指示1258年当巴格达遭受蒙古侵略时，Tigris河被倒入其中的书本染成了黑色。其他文章包括考古发现中的史前中国文化，美国今日的书评是怎样写成的，以及在阿富汗人们如何在战火连天中跋扈他们古老的文化传承等等。对于艺术和文学世界，Christensen拥有百科全书般的知识，这使得他能够轻松地在不同话题之间切换。本书展现了Christensen无与伦比的天赋，能够从全局的观念审视整个世界并将我们作为个体和这个越来越全球化的世界连接在一起。（LYR）
Awards/获奖情况：Christensen生动地、充满想象力地讲述了这些角度清奇而令人全神贯注的散文。（Kirkus）
Christensen的上一部作品《1616: The World in Motion》是一部值得为之自豪的作品，从非学术的角度讲述了一群来自迥异背景的主角，并证明了自己是一个如饥似渴的阅读者，能够通过对于历史的了解和总结的能力来展现今日世界并分享自己精妙的文笔。（Publishers Weekly）
兼收并蓄，不时能够迸发出智慧光芒的书。其背后的博学的作者将带领着读者们一路了解历史和文化上的风景。（The Huffington Post）
"Christiensen’s lively curiosity informs several quirky and engrossing essays." --Kirkus "Christensen (1616: The World in Motion) a proud generalist and non-academic, addresses a slew of disparate subjects...and proves himself to be voracious reader who can clarify the present with knowledge of the past, accessibly summarize a subject, and share a fine story." --Publishers Weekly "An eclectic and sporadically brilliant book in which an erudite writer takes his readers on a set of historical and cultural birdwalks. " --The Huffington Post "An idiosyncratic world tour of diverse cultural histories, a tour de force of eclectic scholarship, a relief map of the journeys of a restless intellect, Thomas Christensen’s River of Ink flows from ancient China to the current Americas with myriad revelations along the way. Christensen is a genial guide to little-known wonders with a wealth of information and a light touch. --Stephen Kessler, author of The Tolsoty of the Zulus
About the Author/作者介绍： Thomas Christensen之前发表的书籍包括《New World/New Words: Translating Latin American Literature》、《The U.S.–Mexican War》以及《The Discovery of America and Other Myths》，他还翻译过包括Laura Esquivel、Carlos Fuentes、Julio Cortázar、Alejo Carpentier以及Louis-Ferdinand Céline等人的多部作品。他是旧金山亚洲艺术馆的出版负责人。
Thomas Christensen’s previous books include New World/New Words: Translating Latin American Literature, The U.S.–Mexican War and The Discovery of America and Other Myths as well as translations of books by such authors as Laura Esquivel, Carlos Fuentes, Julio Cortázar, Alejo Carpentier and Louis-Ferdinand Céline. He is director of publications at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
Format:全彩四色
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
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