Tan Yuanchun 1586-1636

Ming-dynasty literary critic and poet who hailed from Jingling in modern Hubei province. Together with the more senior poet Zhong Xing, he edited two widely-read anthologies, Gushi gui [Return to ancient poetry] and Tangshi gui [Return to Tang poetry]. Despite his early literary fame, Tan did not pass the provincial juren examination until he was 42 and repeatedly failed to obtain the highest degree of jinshi. Later commentators criticized Tan's poetry for its obscurity, with one such detractor, Qian Qianyi, describing him as a very "devil of poetry" [shiyao].

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