AustLit

'Since 1988 Hong Ying has published six major collections of poetry, her most recent being I Too Am Salammbo, a retrospective collection of poems that she has selected and arranged in rough chronological order. As in her novels Hong Ying does not baulk at exploring female sexuality. She, as author, can only re-present the characters of her novels in accordance with how she perceives them: as a woman. However her poetry is highly personal, shedding light on her personal life, including her own sexuality and sexual experiences. Female sexuality and experiences are addressed with spontaneity and naturalness, authenticating the fact that such experiences are natural human behaviour. For Hong Ying's cult followers, her poetry is as important as her novels.

'Vagabond's release of Mabel Lee's translation of I Too Am Salammbo represents the first collection in English of one of China's most important contemporary poets. ' (Publication summary)