A Distant Center

by Ha Jin

In the bold tradition of the “Misty Poets,” Ha Jin confronts China’s fraught political history while paying tribute to its rich culture and landscape. The poems of A Distant Center speak in a voice that is steady and direct, balancing contemplative longing with sober warnings from a writer who has confronted the traumas of censorship and state violence. With unadorned language and epigrammatic wit, Jin conjures scenes that encompass the personal, historical, romantic, and environmental, interrogating conceptions of foreignness and national identity as they appear and seep into everyday interactions and being. These are poems that offer solace in times of political reaction and uncertainty. Jin’s voice is wise, comforting, and imploring; his words are necessary and his lessons are invaluable. Question your place in the world―do not be complacent―look for strength and hope in every nook: “Keep in mind the meaning of / your existence: wherever you land, / your footprints will become milestones.”

Genres: Poetry, China, Asian American

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2018

About the author

Ha Jin is the pen name of Jin Xuefei, a novelist, poet, short story writer, and Professor of English at Boston University.Ha Jin writes in English about China, a political decision post-Tiananmen Square.

Ha Jin grew up in mainland China and served in the People’s Liberation Army in his teens for five years. After leaving the army, he worked for three years at a railroad company in a remote northeastern city, Jiamusi, and then went to college in Harbin, majoring in English. He has published in English ten novels, four story collections, four volumes of poetry, a book of essays, and a biography of Li Bai. His novel Waiting won the National Book Award for Fiction, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Ha Jin is William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor in English and Creative Writing at Boston University, and he has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His writing has been translated into more than thirty languages. Ha Jin’s novel The Woman Back from Moscow was published by Other Press in 2023.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha Jin moved to the United States from China in 1985, and wrote these poems in English, but they do feel like they are of more than one place, or maybe sometimes no place (in a way I really liked.) Some are motivational, like some of my favorites from Mary Oliver, where the poet is speaking directly to the reader, reminding them to have space and acceptance. They might be good as part of a mindfulness practice, whether or not that was how they were intended.

My favorites:

-The Long-Distance Traveler
"Keep going: the farther you go,
the smaller you grow
in the eyes of those
who can't walk anymore...."

-Talent
"...Keep in mind your talent also includes patience and endurance.
Get up, move quietly, and leave all the clamor behind."

-Acceptance
"...You must learn to be content
to inhabit your own space -
news from far away
can no longer disturb you..."

Thanks to Copper Canyon Press for providing access to this title through Edelweiss. It comes out 24 April 2018.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer his fiction.

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha Jin is more famously known for his many impressive, award-winning novels that often expose the restrictive and oppressive nature of his native China. A Distant Center is his fourth book of poetry, and it resonates with the same singular conscience and humanity that can be found in all his works, whether fiction, nonfiction, or verse. This volume of poems may not be quite as profound as his last poetical effort with his collection Wreckage. Regardless, I admire the accessibility of his poems that express great compassion for the voiceless. Many of the pieces address the anguish surrounding his feelings about China and about his understanding of the struggles of immigrants and refugees.

In “The Long-Distance Traveler,” Jin echoes the resilience and fortitude necessary to defy a regressive government and strive to live a full life of purpose and meaning. For those seeking escape, he offers advice:

“. . . If you are
blazing a path, do not expect to meet
a fellow traveler. If by chance
you go astray, you will still
have the sun and stars.”

In “Difficulties,” he attests to the need of counting one’s blessings whenever a chance at beginning anew presents itself. But he also sees clearly how much strength is required to keep moving on in the face of adversity:

“But whose life, if meaningful,
is not rooted in a predicament
and made of difficulties?”

In “Surprise,” he offers keen observations about the struggle to find peace and its relationship to the role of love within a community and among those who are close. He notices how with love the ordinary can become extraordinary:

“What’s invaluable in love is to help
each other reach the end of a long road.
Although every day seems the same,
love resides in the ordinary.”

In “Choice of Hometown,” he brings great clarity to the grace, honor, and dignity of those who sacrifice so much for others. He gives voice to the struggles and anguish of resistors and refugees:

“Perhaps it’s unavoidable that
this generation scrambles through hardships
just to provide the next generation
with choices and hopes.”

In “Hands,” he confronts the oppressiveness of China’s regime with its shameless police apparatus. He does not mince words about the risks some people take and the horrors they might face resisting those in power:

“At any moment they can reach out
to seize you and dump you into
a canyon, or dungeon, or cavern.”

I think the best poem in A Distant Center is “Do Not Start.” Ha Jin is clear, exact, and accurate in his observations. The short poem needs no further commentary, so here it is in its entirety:

“You’d have to commit new violence to salvage
the wreckage left by the previous violence.
In this way you produce new hatred until
hatred is everywhere, as thick as smog.

You’d have to tell a bigger lie
to cover up the previous lie.
In this way lies expand and multiply,
becoming huge like
a mountain or a country.

There are things that, once you start,
can drain your humanity.”

[Lauren]

▪️A DISTANT CENTER by Ha Jin, 2018 by @copper_canyon_press

"Keep in mind your talent also includes patience and endurance. Get up, move quietly, and leave all the clamor behind." (from 'Talent', pg 14)

"Although every day seems the same, love resides in the ordinary" (from 'Surprise', pg 30)


This was my first time trying Ha Jin's poetry after I've read some of his novels. The poetry was more in aphorism style, sharing instructive tidbits. There was a simple grace to some poems, while others felt a too didactic in tone. Will check out his other collections too.

[Faisal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Ha Jin after a long time.
His poetry is just as simple and powerful as his prose.
A beautiful gift for all who leave their birthplace and adopt a foreign land as their homeland for whatever reasons.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha Jin offers us poems of travel, place, and memory in A Distant Center. The book is divided into meditations on travelers, time, home, and far away places. Poignantly, we are left with what Jin calls "a quiet center."



The collection begins with words of advice in "You Must Not Run in Place," complete with don'ts and betters. In "The Long-Distance Traveler," Jin describes the plight of the traveler. Daily life takes center stage in "An Ideal Life," revealing thoughts and personal prognostications: "You don't need to live so hard/you don't need to carry on your bloodline." This is a back and forth dialogue of the self.



Of the many poems worthy of attention, I will finally mention "The Cage," in which a simple object is given powers and personhood, with the final focus of the poem again tapping into memory, reflection, and experience. A Distant Center is finely-crafted verse and invites readers to journey into places near and far away.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow I could not connect with this collection, except on a very superficial level. I had the feeling that it would have been more powerful in the original Chinese (Ha Jin translates his own poetry, but apparently the first drafts are in Chinese), especially with the added visual element of Chinese characters.

[Sujin Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of creative and challenging poems.

[Nicky Enriquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha Jin creates beautiful poetry, that evokes strong memories or sentiments. Ahhhhhmazing.

[Cheryl Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha Jin's language is very clear, simple but not simplistic. Very accessible. There are layers of meaning that strike deeper, however, and a few of the poems struck home and really resonated with me. His poems are worth re-reading several times. I was impressed by the sequencing of his poems as well, throughout this collection. Each poem was enhanced by its place in the collective narrative, which at times was quite moving.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This slim volume evoked the things that ring true to my soul, and made me reflect on my love of solitude and my yearning for connection. I have always admired the skill with which Ha Jin uses simple prose to convey deep and universally meaningful concepts; this book reinforced my appreciation for his literary gifts.

[Luis Ordóñez]

MISSED TIME

My notebook has remained blank for months

thanks to the light you shower

around me. I have no use

for my pen, which lies

languorously without grief.

Nothing is better than to live

a storyless life that needs

no writing for meaning —

when I am gone, let others say

they lost a happy man,

though no one can tell how happy I was.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Best of the Best for the month of April, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1.... Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations

[Mary Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly this style of writing about what “you” should do is that it feels like I am being lectured by the poet. Not something I personally seek out. Favorite poems: The Long-Distance Traveler, Missed Time, The Last Wish.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing, although not as flowery as other poets I like Jin is able to convey meaning in a precise directness that still FEELS poetic. The loneliness and distance I felt reading this really resonated with me. I hope to find my center.

[YL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not written for white people. This book was written for me.

[Don Gianniny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one I'll read again.

[Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this collection focuses on China v US from the author’s perspective, as an adult immigrant to the US.

[Mills College Library]

811.54 J617d 2018