Goddesses, Ghosts, and Demons: The Collected Poems of Li He (790-816)

Li He was a mid-Tang dynasty poet whose work is frequently categorized as 'late-blooming' or 'spectral' due to his focus on themes of decay, the supernatural, and profound melancholy. Because he died at a young age, much of his work was preserved by friends and scholars who recognized the unique, haunting quality of his imagery, which often deviated from the traditional Confucian didacticism of his contemporaries.

The translation work collected here serves as a modern bridge to his complex, metaphor-rich classical Chinese verses. These editions typically emphasize the aesthetic darkness that defined Li He’s legacy, presenting his poetry in a way that captures the surrealist flair often attributed to him by later scholars. His reception has evolved from being seen as a tragic, obscure figure to being recognized as a master of the macabre and one of the most imaginative voices in Chinese literary history.