Dreaming Of Li Po Comments

Li PO (LI Bai) and Du Fu were both great poets (among the greatest ever) and also heavy drinkers.. but their lives were very different. Li Bai was a huge celebrity, showered with honours because of his genius. Du Fu, on the other hand, aspired to a career as a civil servant, but he failed the exam and was too prickly to network his way into a good post. Then came a rebellion led by a general, An Lushan, and eight years of civil war. Du Fu fled the Tang capital, Xian, only to be captured and then to wander as a refugee and exile until the rebel general was assassinated by his own son, and everyone could go home. After this, he finally wangled a government post… but not for long.. And in his later years, Du Fu was so poor that one of his children died of starvation..