Yu Guangzhong

Yu Guangzhong (1928–2017) was an eminent contemporary poet, essayist, critic, and translator. Born in Nanjing to a family from Yongchun, Fujian, he moved to Taiwan in 1950. He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at National Taiwan University and later earned an MFA from the University of Iowa. He taught for many years at National Taiwan Normal University, National Chengchi University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and National Sun Yat-sen University. His work spans modern poetry and essays, with representative titles including Nostalgia, Bitter Melon, Listen to the Cold Rain, and Memory Like Railroad Tracks. His poetry is known for condensed imagery and lingering rhythm, while his essays move between feeling and reflection in a carefully crafted language, often drawing themes of time and homesickness from everyday scenes. This collection contains 28 of his works in poetry and prose.