Philosophy of Contemporary Songs

Dreamlike prose accompanied by nearly 150 carefully selected photographs,

meticulously translated and researched by veteran Dylan scholar Ma Shih-fang,

with over 30,000 words of translator's notes and an exclusive introductory essay,

leading readers into Dylan's profound and perceptive mind,

exploring the vast world reflected in his songs.

"People tend to confuse tradition with stasis. We listen to old records and think of them as artifacts encased in amber, existing for our nostalgic needs. Yet, we don't consider the sweat, suffering, anger, and blood that went into making them, nor do we contemplate what they might evolve into. This record is, at best, a snapshot of these musicians at that particular moment. A snapshot can also be captivating and artistically valuable, and it is the choice of that specific moment in the river of time that makes it immortal."

"Music belongs to a specific era yet transcends time and space. It creates memories and constitutes memory itself… Music is constructed in time, just as a sculptor or welder works in physical space. Music exists within time, yet it transcends time, just as reincarnation allows us to be reborn again and again, thereby transcending life."

──Bob Dylan, The Philosophy of Modern Song