Tao Te King or the wisdom of the Far East
To begin with, perhaps this book is not Master’s authorship, at least not entirely. It is a re-written by Le Guin of the ancient text of Tao Te King by the Chinese sage Lao Tzu. It is a collection of short poetic works that bring with them a deep philosophy of both life and the world. For the author herself, this book was an inseparable part of her life. As she mentions in the introduction, she got acquainted with it through her father, who loved to browse the pages of the piece in question. Moreover, the writer’s father chose a few verses that were to be read at his funeral. The Master herself did the same. The Book of the Way and the Good was, as LeGuin herself said, one of the readings she returned to most often. But what is this book about?
It is difficult for me to define it unequivocally. As I mentioned, it is a philosophical piece, probably of the same rank as The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Prince Machiavelli or Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of the Five Circles . I wrote that probably, because I am not a philosopher myself and I do not know the weight of individual works. One thing is for sure, Tao Te King is an extraordinary piece. It contains tips and wisdom that can be easily applied to every situation of everyday life, as well as to such backbreaking tasks as waging wars or ruling a country. Best of all, these tips are presented in a light and playful manner, both in the original and in this version.
Tao Te King or the holy book for everyone
Tao Te Kingit is a religious book, such are its assumptions, structure and messages. But as Master herself writes, it is a book for everyone, no matter what religion they come from. This is true. The stanzas included in it are timeless and universal, matching everyone. It was like that with the original, and it is like that here. Moreover, if someone is not very familiar with individual poems, he receives footnotes and comments from the writer herself. Comments that are very personal and provide insight into Master’s views and beliefs. The whole, both poems and commentaries, is an extraordinary journey into the depths of the philosophy of life. And this depth was captured in translation. The translators did their best. There is no reason to be surprised, because Prószyński’s omnibuses are pure art. No matter whose authorship. And since we are translating, I must praise that the text of the original was also included (supposedly the norm in this type of items from THIS publishing house), but it is still happy, because we can see both the translation and the native version of the work. One should also praise the release as a whole. As befits part of a larger series, this item also appeared in an extremely decent form. Hardcover, good quality paper and a stylized font on the cover and illustrations (only two, but which ones) make it a book that pays tribute to such a great author as Le Guin. For this I give the publisher a plus six. They really did a great job. And this is a rarity these days. One should also praise the release as a whole. As befits part of a larger series, this item also appeared in an extremely decent form. Hardcover, good quality paper and a stylized font on the cover and illustrations (only two, but which ones) make it a book that pays tribute to such a great author as Le Guin. For this I give the publisher a plus six. They really did a great job. And this is a rarity these days. One should also praise the release as a whole. As befits part of a larger series, this item also appeared in an extremely decent form. Hardcover, good quality paper and a stylized font on the cover and illustrations (only two, but which ones) make it a book that pays tribute to such a great author as Le Guin. For this I give the publisher a plus six. They really did a great job. And this is a rarity these days.
In summary, The Book of the Way and the Good is a very amazing book that carries many deep messages. It is worth reading and understanding why it was so important to Master. I recommend highly!
