Trincomali Press
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
To the Islands — © 2010 Jim Holyoak
Trincomali Press is the imprint of the poet and psychologist Keith Holyoak
Trincomali Press takes its name from Trincomali Channel, which runs between Saltspring and Galiano Islands off the coast of British Columbia. But why stop there? The channel was named after the British frigate HMS Trincomalee, which sailed in the region during the mid-nineteenth century. And the ship was named after the port of Trincomalee in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). So Trincomali Press, based in Los Angeles, represents the confluence of waters and ideas that connect the two sides of the Pacific.
In the tradition of Borges and Nabokov, Oracle Bones presents itself as translations of classical Chinese poems that never existed—"pseudo-translations" whose invented originals feel more authentic than many real ones. Ancient voices speak to present catastrophe: a dissolute king, a kingdom in misrule, warnings inscribed on oracle bones. The second edition adds a new preamble, "The Poet and the Tyrant."
Reader reviews, 1st edition
"A bold reimagining of political poetry, merging ancient ritual with modern unrest… a collection that respects both intellect and craft."
"This book challenges the reader to see history and politics through a different lens. The allegorical king serves as a powerful symbol of recurring human flaws. A sophisticated critique wrapped in poetic elegance."
"Intellectually rich… each poem feels like a coded message waiting to be deciphered. A deeply engaging and thought-provoking experience."
A bilingual edition presenting poems by Li Bai and Du Fu—the two supreme poets of the Tang dynasty—in Chinese and English on facing pages. Holyoak's translations draw on his years of immersion in classical Chinese poetry and his practice as a formal poet, finding English equivalents that preserve both the meaning and the music of the originals. The second edition includes new longer poems.
Reader reviews, 1st edition
"The best Chinese poetry book I've read… it's made Du Fu and Li Bai alive to me."
"Holyoak has done an amazing job of remoulding these fascinating little poems and capturing something of their original sense and atmosphere."
"Profound, inspirational and moving, timeless verse beautifully rendered into English."