Gu Cheng’s poems range across the sepctrum, from the naïve inclinations of his early years to the haunting experimentation of his late period. One of the most influential poets of modern China, his talent burned too fast, accelerating his writing far beyond our expectations.

Bei Dao

Sea Of Dreams

by Gu Cheng

Gu Cheng (1956-1993) is one of China’s most celebrated contemporary poets. His early death ended a literary career that was influenced by the Cultural Revolution and that reawakened the lyricism of Chinese poets during the 1980s. Offering a unique blend of brooding imagism and political innuendo, Gu Cheng’s poetry traces complex changes in the poet’s life-familial, psychological, cultural––but also radiates innocence and a touching melancholy. His poetry began on the farms in Shandong province where his parents were exiled during the Cultural Revolution, and ended on a small island in New Zealand where he took up a Thoreau-like existence before his tragic suicide. His poem “One Generation” became emblematic for the generation coming of age during the ’60s and ’70s. Here for the first time is an edition based on the poet’s own personal selections from his work, and including the magnificent sequences of his middle career. Also incorporated are essays, letters, an interview, and excerpts from Gu Cheng’s novel Ying’er.

Paperback(published Jul, 01 2005)

ISBN
9780811215879
Price US
16.95
Trim Size
6x9
Page Count
226
Portrait of Gu Cheng

Gu Cheng

20th century Chinese poet

Gu Cheng’s poems range across the sepctrum, from the naïve inclinations of his early years to the haunting experimentation of his late period. One of the most influential poets of modern China, his talent burned too fast, accelerating his writing far beyond our expectations.

Bei Dao