Brief Synopsis
“Lu Chi’s Wen Fu: The Art of Writing” is a work of poetry/prose about the use of language and its function in a poetic composition. The “Wen Fu” discusses the processes of writing and inspiration, as well as the delight and difficulty that faces both writer and reader. While it functions as a poem about literature, it also theorizes and comments on good and bad writing. “Wen Fu” is also translated as “Essay on Literature,” “The Poetic Exposition on Literature,” or “Rhymeprose on Literature.”
Publication History
The original text was written in 200 C.E by Lu Chi’s Wen Fu in Chinese. The earliest translation was by Shih – Hsiang Chen, which was modified after consulting a translation by Sam Hamill in 1991. Later translations replaced as well as improved some wording, but the overall concept of the modern version stayed very similar to the old one. One of the later translations was published by The American Poetry Review in 1987. First book publication was produced by Barbarian Press of British Columbia, also in 1987, and was followed by a trade edition published by Breitenbush Books in 1988. The first revised edition was issued by Milkweed editions in 1991, and with that, The Art of Writing has remained in print for nearly ten years. Thanks to Emilie Buchwald and Milkweed Editions, this newly revised version brought Lu Chi’s book into English-speaking world with new surface and language to be equally understandable for all types of readers.
Author’s Biography
Lu Chi was a Chinese poet and critic who lived during the Three Kingdoms Period from 261 to 303. After the Wu Kingdom fell, Chi moved to a family estate and honed his literary skills for nearly a decade. His literary talent and essay on the causes and ultimate fall of the Wu Kingdom even caught the attention of the most famed writer at the time, Chang Hua. As a poet, he was highly proficient in Shi and Fu style poetry. However, as a writer he was best known for his essay on literature, titled “Wen-Fu.” Soon, he was involved in the civil war in 301 known as The Rebellion of the Eight Princes. Chi joined two different prince’s plot to overthrow the weak Emperor Huiti, barely escaping execution during the first plot. He finally chose to join the prince of Ch’ang-Sha, but unfortunately faced a catastrophic loss to the enemy and was executed for treason after his name was slandered to Sha.
Historical Context
Medieval China was plagued with many conflicts, invasions and wars internal and external with barbarians constantly attacking and it was a time when people struggled to survive. Lu Chi lived in the late Three Kingdoms period and the first Jin Dynasty. The Three Kingdoms was the division of China between the states of Wei, Shu and Wu, who were all trying to grab power after the fall of the Han Dynasty. This had been a period of chaotic infighting between the states and it was one of the bloodiest era in Chinese history. The Shu were eventually conquered by the Wei and then the Jin in turned conquered both the Wei and Wu. The Jin Dynasty was able to reunite China under one monarch, however after the Emperor’s death his successor plunged the Empire into civil strife and the country was divided again with regional princes behaving autonomously and shortly after the Kingdom fell into a crisis and an invasion by the Five Barbarians. Rebels and invaders began to establish new self-proclaimed states, which also ushered in the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms. However, these new states immediately began fighting among each other and also with the Jin Empire. Finally a civil war broke out known as the Rebellion of the Eight Princes within the Jin Empire that also eventually cost Lu Chi his life.