Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way

by Ursula K. Le Guin

A rich, poetic, and socially relevant version of the great spiritual-philosophical classic of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching—from a legendary literary icon

Most people know Ursula K. Le Guin for her extraordinary science fiction and fantasy. Fewer know just how pervasive Taoist themes are to so much of her work. And in Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, we are treated to Le Guin’s unique take on Taoist philosophy’s founding classic.
 
Le Guin presents Lao Tzu’s time-honored and astonishingly powerful philosophy like never before. Drawing on a lifetime of contemplation and including extensive personal commentary throughout, she offers an unparalleled window into the text’s awe-inspiring, immediately relatable teachings and their inestimable value for our troubled world.
 
Jargon-free but still faithful to the poetic beauty of the original work, Le Guin’s unique translation is sure to be welcomed by longtime readers of the Tao Te Ching as well as those discovering the text for the first time.

• ISBN10: 1611807247
• ISBN13: 9781611807240
• Publish Date: 14 May 2019 (first published 13 October 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Shambhala
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 136
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781611807240

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way is a modern rendition and release of the ancient Chinese text with commentary by Ursula K. Le Guin. This book, in all its retellings and re-translations is such a part of the fabric of human existence that it's familiar to virtually everyone who's lived in the last several hundred years.There's a great deal of obscure philosophy that can be maddeningly inaccessible and even though the translations mostly start with the same source material, they can be subtly changed by the actual translation.

This edition, released 14th May 2019 by Shambhala is 208 pages and available in ebook format. Other formats are available in earlier editions.

Most of the value of the book for me personally comes from the 'liner notes' and verse commentary from Le Guin herself. I grew up with her works and it's not an exaggeration to say her books molded a great deal of my internal landscape and my views on gender, race, kindness and what it means to be human came to me from (among a few others) her. Especially since her death in Jan. 2018, I've been revisiting her earlier works and this new book with her own observations on life, death, and the meaning of everything is such a profoundly moving experience.

Five stars. I miss Ursula K. Le Guin.

Disclosure: I received an eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.