The Analects of Confucius [Hardcover]

Confucius (Author), Simon Leys (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

Acting as an inspiration to the people of China and East Asia, "The Analects" affirms a humanistic ethic. This translation of the work aims to break down the stereotypical Confucius, showing him to have been a man of passion, enthusiasm and action, whose vocation was politics, and who saw his world sink into violent barbarity. Unable to secure the political role he sought, he engaged his crumbling culture in ethical debate, exercising his moral duty to reform society and restore its former glory. In this translation of the work, Confucius seems to be addressing the problems of our own age.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Simon Leys is the pseudonym of Pierre Ryckmans (Chinese studies, Univ. of Sydney), who tells us in the foreword that he uses a literary pen name because his intention here was to produce a "writer's translation." In fact, this well-crafted translation of Confucius departs only in subtle ways from other distinguished translations to which Leys gives due credit, such as that by Arthur Waley (1938) and D.C. Lau (1979). When his reading is in any way unusual or when he has added to the text, he discloses his rationale fully in the notes. Leys draws parallels between Confucius and thinkers more familiar to Westerners, from Heraclitus to Emerson. He also allows himself to editorialize when a passage strikes a certain chord in him, bringing a fresh, contemporary reading to what might otherwise be an obscure Chinese concept. Scholars of Chinese may quibble over some of the nuances of translation, but it is the opinions set forth in Leys's notes that will spark lively debate. Recommended for academic collections and other collections in need of a good translation of this classic work.?Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Nearly all of us think we know Confucius (551^-479 B.C.). He is the archetypal Chinese sage, spouting cryptic one-liners, and, to the slightly more knowledgeable, the inventor of ancestor worship and the groveling before authority that supposedly hobbled progress in China. With his new translation of the only Confucian text, Leys seeks to restore Confucius' reputation by presenting him as an apt teacher for today. Confucius' China was racked by political dissolution and violence, and he prescribed ritualized politeness as a means of bolstering order. But he did not countenance injustice, venality, and the other vices of authority; and he thought that being a gentleman--the most important and desirable status in his political prescription--was something an ethical man from any social class could attain, provided he mastered the kind of education the West has called liberal. To Western societies that many find lacking in civility, order, and virtue, Confucius does indeed speak, and in this version with maximum clarity, thanks to the crystalline introduction and notes as much as to the translation. Ray Olson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393040194
• ISBN-13: 978-0393040197
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Confucianism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lot of Wisdom in a Little Book, November 28, 2003

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Cool Cool Kitty (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Analects (Hardcover)

The Analects are fragments of a very ancient Chinese work attributed to Confucius. Arthur Waley is an outstanding translator and a poet in his own right. This is a book of wisdom and is extremely helpful to those who wish to explore their own humanity. There's something here for everyone. Confucius deals with the eternal human condition: the joy of learning, staying human and trying to do good when it seems impossible to know what is good, how to both lead and follow, the importance of sincerity over showy form, all portrayed by Waley's translation in language as simple and clear as a mountain stream. I highly recommend this book as a good introduction to Confucianism; to those who are receptive to its message (Judaism has a saying "he who understands will understand"), this book will both clarify and transform one's view of one's individual life in relation to eternity, showing the way to a form of inner harmony that has been beautifully developed over thousands of years of Chinese civilization and from which we in the West could greatly benefit if we open our minds to this kind of learning.