Review by Choice Review
A student of Chinese literature, Marlon Hom has translated poems from two anthologies published in 1911 and 1915 in San Francisco's Chinatown. These Jinshan ge ("Songs From Gold Mountain") were vernacular writings, actually Cantonese folk rhymes, composed by the early Chinese immigrants, and they offer a rare and intimate glimpse into the feelings and thoughts of individuals in the Chinatown community. In his introduction, Hom briefly surveys the literary legacy of San Francisco's Chinatown and speculates as to how the poems were written and compiled. He then groups the 220 poems into several categories, such as "immigration blues," "the lamentations of stranded sojourners," "the lamentations of estranged wives," "nostalgic blues," "ballads of the libertines," "rhapsodies on gold," and "songs of prodigals and addicts." Hom also analyzes the poems for evidence of Western influence and acculturation among the women and the American-born. In general, he has rendered expert translations of the poems and has provided helpful explanatory notes for traditional metaphors and literary allusions. The University of California Press is to be congratulated for including the Chinese text for all poems, although an index was omitted. The book should be useful for those with interests in social and ethnic history, women's studies, and Asian American literature; it is also suitable for libraries serving graduate students and upper-division undergraduates. -F. Ng, California State University, Fresno
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
