Ya Hsien, a writer hailed as the inspiration behind Taiwan’s modern poetry and cofounder of the Epoch Poetry Society, has died.
He was 92.
Ya Hsien, whose real name was Wang Ching-lin (王慶麟), passed away peacefully in the early hours on Friday in Vancouver, a post on his Facebook page said.
Photo courtesy of Fisfisa Media
Attached to the post was an image of a flower and an excerpt from his first published poem, A Small Flower (我是一勺靜美的小花朵), published in 1954.
The poet was born in 1932 in China’s Henan Province and relocated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, information on the Web sites of the Kaohsiung Literature Library and the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs showed.
After graduating from Fu Hsing Kang College with a degree in film and drama, he studied in the US, earning a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
In 1954, Ya Hsien, Chang Mo (張默) and Luo Fu (洛夫) cofounded the Epoch Poetry Society in Kaohsiung. Its publication, the Epoch Poetry Quarterly, has had a lasting influence on the development of poets in Taiwan.
During his nearly 40-year career as a writer and editor, Ya Hsien cultivated many talents and made outstanding contributions in the field of literature.
Last year, the Taipei City Government named him the winner of its Taipei Culture Award.
Some of Ya Hsien’s most notable works include The Collected Poems of Ya Hsien (?弦詩集) and Salt (鹽).
Feng Te-ping (封德屏), president of Wenhsun magazine, yesterday said that Ya Hsien’s writings would be remembered and studied by people for generations.
Regardless of his contribution to knowledge, poetry and writing, he had a huge influence on Taiwan’s literary world and modern poetry, Feng said, adding that although Ya Hsien did not publish a lot of poems, just one collection can influence many generations.
Ya Hsien settled in Canada in his later years and due to poor health, he had been unable to return to Taiwan for quite some time, Feng said.
Yang Tsung-han (楊宗翰), an associate professor in National Taipei University of Education’s Department of Language and Creative Writing, described Ya Hsien as one of the most important poets in the Chinese-speaking world.
He was nominated as one of Taiwan’s Top 10 Poets three times, a testament to his important position in the hearts of many creators and readers, Yang said.
The poet’s death was also mourned by many Chinese-speaking literary academics and fans in Canada.
Poet Hsu Wang-yun (徐望雲), who had known him for almost four decades, described Ya Hsien as an idol who never showed any ego and inspired many young people interested in literature.
Although saddened by the loss, Teng Ju-po (鄧如柏), a consultant with the Tzu Chi Foundation’s overseas office in Canada, said Ya Hsien’s poetry would live on forever.
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