The Banished Immortal

<p>In his own time (701&ndash;762), Li Bai's brilliant poems&mdash;shaped by Daoist thought, filled with an irrepressible lust for life&mdash;were never given their proper due. Nonetheless, his lines rang out on the lips of tavern singers, soldiers, and writers throughout the Tang dynasty, and his deep desire for a higher, more perfect world gave rise to his nickname: the Banished Immortal. With the instincts of a master novelist, Ha Jin draws on a wide range of historical and literary sources to weave the great poet's life story, following Bai from his origins on the western frontier to his rambling travels as a young man. Jin also takes us through the poet's later years&mdash;in which he became swept up in a military rebellion that altered the course of China's history&mdash;and the mysterious circumstances of his death.<br />&nbsp;<br />Today, Bai's verses remain an inextricable part of the Chinese language&mdash;taught to schoolchildren, recited at parties and toasts&mdash;and are famed throughout the world. <em>The Banished Immortal</em> is an extraordinary portrait of a poet who both transcended his time and was shaped by it, and whose ability to live, love, drink, dance, and mourn without reservation produced some of the world&rsquo;s most enduring verses.</p>