Books by Laozi

Hugo Hørlych Karlsens nyoversættelse af den kinesiske klassiker Daode jing er blevet kaldt “den smukke udgave af Daode jing”, idet teksten i hans oversættelse gengives “i en tidløs og universel ånd”, samtidig med at den “udmærker sig ved at støtte sig til moderne, levende taoistisk tradition og ved et dejligt klart sprog” (Nyt Aspekt og Danmark-Kina).Daode jing har siden dens fremkomst 500 f.v.t. været bøgernes bog og med sine 81 korte kapitler været værdsat overalt på jorden for dens uovertrufne enkle, smukke og rå fremstilling af kunsten at leve livet.Ursula K. Le Guin om Daode jing: "Mennesker har elsket denne bog gennem 2500 år. Det er den mest kærlige af alle de store klassiske tekster, sjov, skarp, mild, beskeden, urokkeligt vanvittig og uudtømmeligt forfriskende. Af alle dybe ting i verden er denne bog det klareste og mest friske vand. For mig er den også den dybeste kilde."

Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching", or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living and one of the wonders of the world. In eighty-one brief chapters, the "Tao Te Ching" llods at the basic predicatment of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. This book is about wisdom in action. It teaches how wo work for the good with the efforless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao (the basic principle of the universe) and applies equally to good government and sexual love, to childrearing, business, and ecology.The Tao Te Ching is the most widely traslated book in world literature, after the Bible. Yet the gemlike lucidity of the original has eluded most previous translations, and they have obscured some of its central ideas.Laozi, also rendered as Lao Tzu and Lao-Tze was an ancient Chinese philosopher. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoismand traditional Chinese religions.

The Daodejing encapsulates the main tenets of Daoism, a philosophy and religion whose dominant image is the Way, a life-giving stream that enables individuals to achieve harmony and a more profound level of understanding. This new translation draws on the latest archaeological finds and brings out the word play and poetry of the original.

This translation presents Daoism’s basic text in highly readable contemporary English. Incorporating the latest scholarship in the field (including the most recent discoveries of ancient manuscripts in the 1970s and ''90s), the book explains Daodejing''s often cryptic verses in a clear and concise way. The introduction interprets the Daodejing''s poetic imagery in the context of ancient Chinese symbolism, and a brief philosophical analysis accompanies each of the 81 translated chapters of the Daodejing.