Yu Kwang-chung

Yu Kwang-chung

Yu Kwang-chung (Chinese: 余光中; 21 October 1928 – 14 December 2017), also romanised as Yu Guangzhong, was a Taiwanese writer, poet, educator and critic. In this Chinese name, the family name is . He was known for his love of literature and his role in modern Taiwanese literature. Yu’s work often talked about identity, culture, and life, making him respected in education. Through his writing and teaching, he inspired many to enjoy language and stories.

Life

Yu Kwang-chung was born in 1928 in Nanking. His family had to move during the Japanese invasion and again because of the Chinese Civil War. In 1950, he and his family went to Taiwan through British Hong Kong with the Kuomintang-led Government.

He studied English at the University of Nanking and later at Amoy University and National Taiwan University. He was among the first to earn a degree in foreign languages. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Iowa.

After finishing school, Yu started working as a university teacher in 1956. In 1959, he began teaching English at National Taiwan Normal University and became a professor in 1971. He also taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, National Sun Yat-sen University, and Gettysburg College in the United States. Yu received a National Award for Arts in 1989 and a National Cultural Award in 2014.

Yu passed away on 14 December 2017 at Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital in Kaohsiung. He was married to Fan Wo-tsun from 1956 until the end of his life.

Works

Yu Kwang-chung wrote 17 collections of poems and 12 collections of prose. Much of his poetry from the 1970s shared the feelings of people who moved from China to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War.

His work included poetry, prose, translation, and writing about books. He was known for his clever and funny writing style and his deep understanding of culture in his poems. Yu taught Chinese language and literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was praised for his skill with both old and new Chinese literature. He also knew many other languages, like English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, and sometimes used them in his writing to compare Chinese and Western cultures.

In 1977, Yu wrote an article called "The Wolf Is Coming." In this article, he shared his thoughts on a movement in Taiwanese literature. This created much discussion among writers and readers.