Renowned poet, co-founder of Epoch Poetry Society Ya Hsien dies at 92

Taipei/Vancouver, Oct. 12 (CNA) Ya Hsien (瘂弦), a writer known for being the inspiration behind Taiwan's modern poetry and co-founder of the Epoch Poetry Society, has died at the age of 92.

The news of his death was revealed Saturday via a post on his Facebook page, which mentioned that Ya Hsien, whose real name was Wang Ching-lin (王慶麟), passed away peacefully in the early hours on Friday in Vancouver, Canada.

The post also came attached with a picture of a flower and an excerpt of Ya Hsien's first published poem titled "A Small Flower" (我是一勺靜美的小花朵) published in 1954.

According to information from the Kaohsiung Literature Library and the Taipei City's Department of Cultural Affairs websites, the poet was born in 1932 in China's Henan province and later relocated to Taiwan following the Chinese civil war in 1949.

After graduating from Fu Hsing Kang College with a degree in film and drama, he went on to study in the United States and subsequently received a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.

In 1954, together with Chang Mo (張默) and Luo Fu (洛夫), Ya Hsien co-founded the Epoch Poetry Society in Kaohsiung. Its publication, the Epoch Poetry Quarterly, has exerted a lasting influence on the development of poets in Taiwan.

During his nearly 40-year career as a writer and editor, Ya Hsien had cultivated many talents, and made outstanding contributions in the field of literature. In 2023, he was awarded the Taipei Culture Award by the Taipei City government.

Some of Ya Hsien's most notable works included "The Collected Poems of Ya Hsien" (瘂弦詩集) and "Salt" (鹽).

In response to the news of Ya Hsien's death, Feng Te-ping (封德屏), president of Wenhsun Magazine, told CNA on Saturday that his writings will be remembered and studied by people for generations to come.

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 of his poems can influence generation after generation.

According to Feng, 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.

Yang Tsung-han (楊宗翰), an associate professor at 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 had been nominated as one of Taiwan's "Top 10 Poets" three times in the past, 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 scholars and fans living in Canada.

Poet Hsu Wang-yun (徐望雲) said he was saddened by Ya Hsien's sudden passing.

"Earlier this year, when I learned that he fell down and was hospitalized, I wanted to pay him a visit but his daughter said he needed to rest," Hsu said, pointing out that he was relieved after seeing a photo of him on Facebook last month celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Epoch Poetry Society.

At the time, Hsu, who had known him for almost four decades, said he was happy to learn that Ya Hsien was in good spirits.

The poet described Ya Hsien as an idol who never showed any ego and always inspired many young people interested in literature.

Teng Ju-po (鄧如柏), a consultant with the Tzu Chi Foundation's overseas office in Canada, said she is a huge fan of his poetry, and that Ya Hsien was one of her instructors at a poetry camp when she was in university.

Although saddened by the loss, Teng said Ya Hsien's poetry will live on forever.