dust

A Mind as a Speck of Dust

Yang Mu's last poetry collection:
Uncollected + Unpublished Works

Setting a precedent in the Chinese poetry world, revealing the original form of the poet's creative manuscripts:
Each poem is accompanied by 1 to 7 valuable revised manuscripts, offering a glimpse into how the poet meticulously crafted and perfected his work, revealing the artistic secrets and effort behind each poem.

Hardcover and paperback editions with dual covers:
A special large-format, full-color print, combining appreciation, analysis, and collection, making it an extremely valuable edition.

"A Speck of Dust" is Yang Mu's last poetry collection, including ten "uncollected" works written after his self-compiled "Songs of Varying Lengths" (2013), and six "unfinished" works he left unpublished, totaling sixteen poems—each poem is accompanied by at least one valuable manuscript, with some undergoing up to seven revisions, including the first draft, revised drafts, and final drafts.

For the first time, his heavily marked and corrected handwriting and repeatedly revised versions are revealed, offering a glimpse into how the poet meticulously crafted and perfected his work, revealing the artistic secrets and effort behind each poem.

Lu Xun once quoted Gogol on the art of writing: "It is best to learn from the unfinished drafts of the same work (by great writers)..." Unfortunately, most writers are unwilling to reveal their drafts, just as Yuan Mei's poem says: "It's always hard to put pen to paper, peace of mind comes only after a thousand revisions; an old woman is still like a young girl, unwilling to be seen before her hair is done" ("Quelling the Mood").

It is rare to find Yang Mu's preserved drafts of recent works. Although he never showed his original manuscripts to others, he did review and compare different revised versions of Western great poets such as William Blake, William Butler Yeats, and T. S. Eliot, offering readers a deeper appreciation and revelation.

After careful consideration, it was decided to set a precedent in the Chinese poetry world by revealing the original form of the poet's creative manuscripts, printed and produced in a large, full-color format. This is an extremely valuable edition that combines appreciation, analysis, and collection.