Tao Te Ching: A Graphic Novel

This book has transcended for many centuries. It seems that to understand the Tao Te Ching, it takes a lifetime? Remember, as philosophical as it sounds, a journey of a lifetime begins now! Read it, learn it, apply it! It will mean different things to different people in different times of their life! This version has visual aspects to accompany the written. Have an open mind and delve into this masterpiece.

"Look how this one verse line applies to my hippie philosophy" is the general trend of the illustrations. The translation used is horrendous! I read another a few years ago, which was sometimes to profound but mostly intelligible - this text is clunky, awkward and often confusing. Insulting to the great classic

Not really a graphic novel. More like illustrations along with text. Not the best rendition of the Tao te Ching nor interesting illustrations.

Lovely graphics but a weak and ungraceful translation.

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.

It helped to understand the English translation from the original Chinese.

Unter "Graphic Novel" verstehe ich eine bebilderte Geschichte. Also einen Zusammenhang zwischen Bildern und Text. Manche sagen auch es sei ein "Comic" in moderner Diktion. Dies hier ist eine miserabel illustrierte Übersetzung, indem jedem der 81 Kapitel eine Doppelseite zukommt und jeweils links steht die Übersetzung (NB ohne irgend eine Anmerkung oder Erklärung) und auf der rechten Seite Bilder, die KEINERLEI Bezug zum Original haben, sondern die assoziative Zusammenhänge herstellen können. So gibt es beispielsweise zu Daodejing 18 drei miserable Bilder von Margreth Thatcher und John Major und von der Machtübergabe in Grossbritannien. Es ist lieblos und lustlos gemacht und die Bilder sind zum weglaufen schlecht. Ich bin Sinologe und habe durchaus eine Zuneigung zu schlechten Übersetzungen des Daodejing, aber das hier ist einfach nur eine billige Abzocke.