A Distant Center

Ha Jin is well known for his award-winning fiction, but he is a poet at heart—A Distant Center moves his astounding poetic talent into the spotlight. Originally written in Chinese and rewritten in English, these poems operate between cultures, languages, and multiple poetic traditions. The result is a generous hybrid space in which vast territory is explored fearlessly: exile and immigration, personal memories and current crises. Jin’s poetry boldly confronts China’s fraught political history while recalling, embodying, and hovering just outside of its rich culture and landscape. The poet is plainspoken and insightful, addressing the turmoil of displacement with meditative wisdom, self-reflection, and colorful play. Ha Jin’s poetry shows a brilliant mind wrestling gracefully with the pain of an uprooted life.