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The Lantern and the Night Moths

The Lantern and the Night Moths: Five Modern and Contemporary Chinese Poets in Translation

Full cover spread of The Lantern & the Night Moths. The cover has a lantern with a moth flying towards it, along with the title in English and Chinese and the subtitle, Five Modern and Contemporary Chinese Poets, and the byline Selected and Translated by Yilin Wang 王艺霖. The back cover has four blurbs along with the Invisible Books logo.

Featured in “Anticipated Books” Lists by Electric Literature, CBC Books, The Toronto Star, and Quill & Quire
#1 Bestseller for Modern Chinese Poetry and #1 Bestseller for Contemporary Chinese Poetry on Amazon

“Poetry is what survives translation. Here, in the pages of Yilin Wang’s The Lantern and the Night Moths, it not only survives, it thrives, shining all the more brilliantly, persistently, and heroically. Vivid and moving, Wang’s beautiful translations and reflective essays grant us entry into the poems of Qiu Jin, Zhang Qiaohui, Fei Ming, Xiao Xi, and Dai Wangshu, while also helping us understand the difficult choices and challenges that lie at the human heart of the translator’s work.” — Neil Aitken, poet and co-translator of The Book of Cranes: Selected Poems of Zang Di from Chinese

“An exceptional book of translations and literary criticism [and Wang’s] accompanying essays (one per poet) make for a rich but accessible reading experience. The Lantern and the Night Moths is a wholly impressive work that is sure to appeal to many audiences.” — Annick MacAskill, Quill & Quire, Starred Review

“In this stunning new collection, Chinese diaspora poet-translator Yilin Wang has selected and translated poems by five Chinese poets. Autumn moons and spring flowers abound, but also the power of language and poetry. She includes thoughtful biographical information about the poets and discusses the fascinating art and craft of translation, but I was most struck by the way she reflects on how the poets speak to each other and speak to her.” — Pierce Alquist, Book Riot

See Invisible Publishing’s website for the full book description and all the blurbs.

I recommend ordering through your local bookstore, but you can get it anywhere where books are sold. Thanks so much! Here are some places I like to direct people to:

Advance review copies are available for request on Edelweiss.

You can also help support the book by:

  • Asking your local bookstore to stock it.
  • Requesting that your library order a copy — in Canada and in the UK, libraries will pay writers and translators a license fee when their books appear in libraries. You should be able to fill in a request form with your local library.
  • Inviting Yilin to take part in literary events in 2024 or attending her events.
  • Leaving reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and any other bookselling/review sites.
  • Spread the word on social media and in person. Word of mouth helps a lot! 

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