Gu Cheng: Selected Poems

Edited by Seán Golden and Chu Chiyu
1990;1996
182 pages
ISBN 962-7255-05-X

Table of contents

Gu Cheng was part of the group which founded the seminal non-official literary journal Today during the 1979-80 Democracy Wall movement, or 'Beijing Spring', of which his own work became emblematic. A major talent, his poety stands as a reminder of the quality of work produced in China in the mid-1980s, despite sporadic official attacks.

Gu Cheng left China in 1987, settling finally in New Zealand, where he continued to experiment with poetic form and content. His personal life, however, took a tragic turn, culminating in his suicide and the death of his wife in 1993.

'... an important reference work for those interested in both Gu Cheng's poetry and his idiosyncratic ideals.'

—The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs

'... a most distinctive voice that will be remembered for a long time to come.'

—World Literature Today

'...this is an admirably produced book...[A]ll the signs are that this is a publishing enterprise of high quality scrupulously undertaken.'

—South China Morning Post