Norwich University will host a public talk by David Hinton, a Vermont poet and translator of ancient Chinese poetry, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. in Chaplin Hall Gallery.

Hinton will compare modern U.S. environmental thought with that of ancient Chinese culture, especially as reflected in the writing of the classic Chinese poets T’ao Ch’ien, Li Po, and Wang Wei. This discussion will be followed by a book signing and Q&A session.

In addition to his work as translator and poet, Hinton is a creative nonfiction writer whose most recent book, Hunger Mountain, is about hiking Central Vermont’s Hunger Mountain while contemplating the philosophy of the ancient Chinese. Hinton is the first translator in more than a century to work with the four foundational masterworks of Chinese philosophy.

He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and numerous others from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Hinton lives in East Calais, Vermont.

“David Hinton's translations of the antique Chinese poets have not only introduced me to the much-needed worldview of the Ch'an Buddhists; his treatment of those texts has allowed me and my students to rediscover the challenge and power of poetry itself,” said Norwich English Prof. Carl Martin.

This event kicks off the fall 2013 Writers Series, which is presented by the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of English & Communications.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. Selected books of poetry and Hunger Mountain will be on sale at the event.