Tao Te Ching: A Graphic Novel

by Sean Michael Wilson (Editor), Cary Kwok (Illustrator), William Scott Wilson (Translator)

A contemporary graphic novel adaptation of a spiritual classic.

This graphic-novel version of the Tao Te Ching—the poetic classic that is the philosophical and religious basis of Taoism—brings the teachings into a modern light in a completely fresh and unique way. Each of the 81 poem-passages of the Tao Te Ching is reinterpreted by award-winning graphic novel writer Sean Michael Wilson and brought to life by the artful illustrations of Hong Kong artist Cary Kwok, who sets the text in various contemporary scenes to bring out the modern relevance.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Poetry, Spirituality

176 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2018

About the author

Sean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland. He has had around 30 books published with a variety of US, UK and Japanese publishers, including: a comic book version of A Christmas Carol ('Best of 2008’, Sunday Times), AX:alternative manga ( 'Best ten books of 2010’, Publishers Weekly), Parecomic (with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, his first contribution to a book in graphic form). He is currently writing books for big Japanese publisher Kodansha, being the only British writer to do so. In fact, he is the only pro manga writer from Britain who lives in Japan. He is also the editor of the critically acclaimed collection 'AX:alternative manga' (Publishers Weekly's 'Best ten books of 2010' and nominated for a Harvey award).

Working with various Japanese artists he has written a unique line of Japanese history/martial arts/Samurai books, including The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Ninja, The 47 Ronin, and Cold Mountain (winner of China Comic and Animation Competition 2015 ‘Best Overseas Comic’ award). In 2016 his book 'The Faceless Ghost' was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017 he became the first British person to receive an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government. In 2019 his book 'The Many Not the Few' was launched by the Labour Party leader in an event in the Houses of Parliament. In 2020 he received the Scottish Samurai Award from an association promoting connections between Japan and Scotland.

He does comic books outside the normal superhero/fantasy brands, going into areas such as history, biography, drama, and social issues, often in collaboration with universities, charities and book publishers. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and writes articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This translation felt off and was simply too clunky, and I’m afraid the illustrations didn’t help either in a better understanding of the Tao te ching.

[Greg Soden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fifth version I’ve read of the Tao Te Ching and I loved it, as I always do. No people, no dates, no cities, no historical events, just Tao. Lovely.

Listen to my interview with the author on episode 93 of The Classical Ideas Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the Tao Te Ching more than once, and find it very difficult to understand. Nevertheless, I keep trying to understand this book, as I am interested in the thinking behind movements that have affected the world and its cultures. I was optimistic that Sean Michael Wilson's added illustrations might help me take in the words more easily. You may consider it user error, but it didn't work. While some of the illustrations were helpful, others seemed to have nothing to do with the pages surrounding them.

Tao Te Ching is just as much a mystery to me now as it was before I read this version. Perhaps, for me, it is meant to remain so.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Shambhalla Publications for giving me another opportunity to learn these lessons. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Y.S. Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tao De Ching by Sean Michael Wilson and Cary Kwok is a word and graphic commentary to Lao Tzu's Chinese philosophy classic.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE WORK
I love Tao de Ching and it is refreshing to see it being interpreted in a different medium. Though William Scott Wilson's translation isn't my favourite, the authors did their best to bring out the meaning most personal to them, which is one of the cores of Taoist teachings.

DISLIKES
I could not comprehend the meaning behind a few of the drawings. However, most were easy enough to understand.

WHO IS IT FOR
People familiar with Tao de Ching would want to dip into this. Newcomers should find it suitable for comprehension and enjoyment.

Many thanks to Shambhala Publications for review copy.

[Lilly Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a 5 star book. The concept definitely is. For some, it may be. However, the English translation used in the book was so far from Ursula K. Le Guin's, which I am in love with, that I struggled to connect with the ideology. I was surprised as well how political the images were, as well as how many unrelated messages were conveyed through the art, regarding women and what is good, for example. On the flip side, would a graphic novel like this be worth its salt without referencing modern culture trends or militarism? No. Therefore, this book is hitting that average place for me, somewhere in between brilliant and disappointing.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tao Te Ching has long been one of my favorite books....the simplicity and depth. I have to say this was not my favorite 'translation' of the book. While the graphic portion was interesting and nicely done, I felt it highly complexified and made too busy what is in reality a beautifully simple, yet powerful book. To me, the portrayal of the modern slant was not always that well done, and I will return to the initial beautifully illustrated one that I read back when I was 18 and still have!

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las estrellas son para las enseñanzas Tao, las gráficas no me gustaron nada.

[Koit · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s difficult to really rate something as complex as ‘The Way’. It’s clear—having pondered what I read—that most of it was entirely beyond me, right now. Understanding of the way can only come in small steps, and I think Mr Wilson’s take on this is in the right direction.

Now, because the subject is so complicated, it’s easy to say that what the reader sees in this book does not tally with what they read from Lao Tzu’s words. For me, this was a journey where I read the passages and then compared the image next to each verse, thinking whether the artist’s interpretation of the poem would match mine. In some cases it did, and in others it did not. However, nearly always there was a link I could see between the two, even if my mind didn’t want to follow down that path.

In that way, this is a book that offers two things: one is the (translated) message of Lao Tzu; the other is an interpretation of it. It is not the interpretation because no such thing can exist. Indeed, for a text like this we should figure its meaning out from first principles, but even so every other take sets the reader on a course towards better understanding.

This review was originally posted on my blog.

[André · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually quite disappointed. The text are hard as the topic is, so that not the issue. The images are seldomly related to the text and are not delivering the message. "Gedanken ohne Inhalt/Illustration sind leer. Anschauungen/Bilder ohne Begriffe sind blind." Text und Bild haben ihre Wirkungen verfehlt. Text and words have missed their impact here. Let's try that again and work together next time.

[Erin Bookishness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t always agree with the drawings as interpretations of the cantos, but I did like the illustrations and I thought many of them helped to explain the text. This is my first time through the Tao Te Ching and I’m sure it won’t be the last, there is a lot of meaning to extract there. I would like to explore other translations too though.

[Sergio Chaparro · Rating 2 out of 5]

El aporte gráfico puede ayudar a aterrizar algunos conceptos y ejemplificar algunas enseñanzas. Sin embargo, al estar evocando paradigmas que se nutren del entendimiento personal, en ocasiones sesgan la visión de la interpretación para el momento subjetivo y propio del lector.

[styx · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's almost incredible how far this adaptation leans into true tao with the unity of opposites by pairing incredibly beautiful translations of lao tzu's writings with the most corny illustrations and sermons imbedded within 😭😭😭

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty unappealing translation, but the illustrated accompaniments do add something to a text that is pretty much impossible to illustrate

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the graphics. Helps make sense of some part of the text.

[Carlos Vasconcellos · Rating 5 out of 5]

At end of 2021 I came back to this book to help me heal from Covid-19 and it helped. I am getting another copy to give to my sun as it is a great WAY of the spirit. In the beginning of the 4th revolution and as projections of 2030 continue to unravel, I have re-centered to health, love, energy, breathing, and movement (frequency and vibration) as a daily WAY of la vida. Never not learning remains part of the mindbuild