Poems and Songs: Patti Smith 1970-2015 Chinese-English Comparison Author: [US] Patti Smith Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

【Editor's recommendation】

★Patti Smith, the poet laureate of rock music, has collected all her poems and lyrics from her 45-year creative career, with a Chinese-English edition; this book is the best commemoration of Patti's unique contribution to the history of rock music - "We will eventually decline, but poetry will not"!

As one of the most legendary American artists, Patti Smith represents the rock aesthetics of an entire era and has sung the most important voice in contemporary pop culture.

In November 1975, Patti Smith's first studio album, Horses, was released. It sold nearly 200,000 copies in a year and is considered the first "real" punk album. In the 1970s, Patti Smith broke the punk tradition with her straightforward lyrics, simple chord progressions and improvisations, colliding with avant-garde and other musical styles.

In 1998, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the publication of "Horses", "Poems and Songs" was published for the first time, which included 126 classic works and precious manuscripts of Patti Smith over 45 years, whether they were controversial, romantic, political or emotional.

★The contemporary successor of Rimbaud and Baudelaire, the rock pioneer of Sex Pistols, Sonic Youth and U2, praised by numerous contemporary writers and artists such as Susan Sontag, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Joan Didion:

"The greatest rock poetry book since Bob Dylan"

——Salon Magazine

“Patti Smith is not only a transcendent artist, she is a shaman.”

—William Burroughs

★A genius creation of mind and art, a revolutionary combination of words and music: rebel in poetry, love in rock and roll, find the power of the people and eternal freedom in sound.

Patti Smith always considered herself a poet. Poetry is the origin of her creation and the spiritual core of all her art. Joan Didion once commented that her writing is "so honest and pure, it can be called a real carnival."

Compared with the tenderness and wisdom in her essays ("Just Children" and "Dream Hotel"), Patti Smith's poetry is explosive and shocking.

The images she creates can sometimes seem ugly and destructive, but between the recurring images of mountains, angels, processions, and spaceships, her words emerge like a beam of fire from historical events, religious traditions, the depths of nature, and the ghosts of the dead.

★It is both private and public, the voice of the times, the echo of reality and the individual experience of love; it is written not only to my sister, daughter, and husband, but also to Rimbaud, Dylan, Blake, and to the smallness and greatness of history, nature and human civilization.

Patti Smith's lyrics are closely tied to reality.

The 3.11 earthquake, the 9.11 incident, the US election, the Iraq War, the discovery of the New World... history and news are all her nourishment. Her voice is sharp, vivid, and resonant, and while it is full of unique personality, it also has primitive beauty. Lovers, mothers, and children are always the real power running through Patty's lyrics.

★Multi-faceted writer and translator Chen Sian has devoted his efforts to translating and introducing the songs, with meticulous and detailed annotations, going deep into the details behind each song.

The simplified Chinese version exclusively presents the background introduction of 10 studio albums.

Take you back to the rock era.

The book contains more than 130 annotations. The translator strives to restore the work to its creative context, and makes detailed annotations on the allusions involved in the songs, presenting a unique rock poetry aesthetic. Canaan Morse, a well-known Chinese-to-English translator and a Ph.D. in Sinology from Harvard University, was specially invited to serve as the translation and proofreader of this book.

The editors referred to a large amount of information such as interviews from major magazines, album release reports, music review websites, etc., and made exclusive introductions and guides to the 10 included studio albums, taking readers back to the world that Patti Smith was in when she first made each album.

★126 classic works × precious creative manuscripts × 428 pages of extra-large square format.

The overall binding was designed by the emerging designer Shanchuan, and the black and silver tones reproduce the punk aesthetics.

We used a custom-made opening to cut out a square poetry collection. Opening the book is like opening a record that has been stored for 45 years. The book cover is a clamshell hardcover that looks like a CD case, the inner text is locked, the spine is covered with black velvet cloth, and the inner text paper is 80g imported pure (smooth grain), which can be spread out 180° for reading.

The book is designed by the emerging designer Shanchuan, with black and silver as the main colors, reproducing the rebelliousness and metallic texture of punk. The poet's voice has been here forever, and now, in her lyrics, why not "break it, oh, feel me".

★The cover is exclusively authorized to use Patti Smith's album cover of "Horses", one of the most representative portraits of the 1970s, and the inner cover is beautifully printed with Patti Smith's lyrics manuscript and signature.

We have obtained exclusive authorization from Patti Smith and the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and the cover of this book is inspired by the album portrait of "Gunma", one of the most famous images in rock history.

The first page uses the manuscript of Patti Smith's classic song "The People Have the Power" and her autograph as design elements, printed in silver, replicating the experience of opening a CD.

★Black + silver two-color printing, Chinese and English parallel typesetting, taking into account both aesthetics and reading experience.

35 songs and a large number of manuscripts were added based on the 2015 new edition.

The groundbreaking layout that is most convenient for comparative reading presents the beauty of the Chinese and English languages ​​on the same page, while appreciating the rhythm/poetry of the two languages, as well as the most original artistic energy in the words and sentences after the musical embellishment is removed.

At the same time, based on the first publication in 1998, the 2015 reprint was revised and supplemented by Patti Smith herself. The new version contains a large number of Patti's manuscripts and previously uncollected lyrics and poems.

【Media Recommendation】

Her influence on music today is undeniable. There is not a band I know that doesn't adores her records. Gunma has a rawness and energy that I haven't heard in any other music. My life has been changed since then.

—Michael Stipe, REM

Patti Smith was not only a great performer, she was a shaman.

—William Burroughs

Poems and Songs showcases the living energy of Pati’s words…

——Los Angeles Times

Because of you, precious friend, music is everywhere, in mouths, in arms, in hips.

—Susan Sontag

The breadth of her concerns, her unique wisdom, and the depth of her emotions.

——Booklist Magazine

【Content Introduction】

"Poems and Songs" includes the early poetry works of rock poet Patti Smith and the lyrics of all the songs released during her 45-year creative career. It is the best proof of Patti Smith's passion, boldness and originality in music and writing.

Patti Smith's lyrics are closely related to reality. The 3.11 earthquake, the 9.11 incident, the US election, the Iraq War, the discovery of the New World... history and news are all her nourishment. Her voice is sharp, vivid, and resonant. It is full of unique personality and has the most primitive beauty. Lovers, mothers and children are always the real power running through Patti's lyrics. Her words have inspired countless listeners and always reveal the fragile and powerful hearts of women, transcending time.

This imported edition contains a large number of precious manuscripts, and includes a detailed introduction to 10 studio albums and the important songs in them.

Patti Smith

American musician, writer, poet, visual artist, winner of the National Book Award. In 1975, her first studio album, Horses, combined rock, punk music and poetry recitation, becoming one of the most important breakthroughs in rock history and was included in the list of the 100 greatest rock albums in history by Rolling Stone magazine. Patti Smith's creations have always focused on the revolutionary combination of poetry and rock music, and she has challenged the times with her unique image. She is known as the "Poet Laureate of Rock" and the "Godmother of Punk". In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Translator/Chen Sian

Writer, playwright, director, and translator. Published short story collections such as "The Fire Inside", "Live Food", and "Fake Life". Translated "Poems and Songs: Patti Smith 1970-2015".