On behalf of the editors I wish to express our deep gratitude to the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, which has been the sole promoter of the Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan series in which this anthology is included.
The compilation and editing of an anthology is a delicate task involving the selection of the poets to be represented; the choice of poems to be included in the work; the engaging of competent translators; and the editing of the submitted translations. The three members of the editorial board—Michelle Yeh, Xiang Yang, and myself—have been solely responsible for the selection of poets. The poets themselves were asked to suggest which of their poems they wished to see included. The translators were also invited to submit their preferences. The final decisions were made by the editorial board of the anthology. The editing of the translations has been undertaken by Michelle Yeh and myself, in close consultation with the translators. The introduction, biographical notes, notes to the poems, and bibliography were written and compiled by Michelle Yeh, Chief Editor.
The editors gratefully acknowledge the enthusiasm and the fine spirit of cooperation with which the translators have tackled their often very difficult tasks. We also express deep appreciation of the efficient way in which Ms. Jennifer Crewe, Publisher for the Humanities and Editorial Director of Columbia University Press, has guided the production of this anthology.
The editors find it highly gratifying that two Chinese editions of this book will be published, one in Taiwan in traditional characters and the other, in simplified characters, in the People’s Republic of China. The latter contains a preface by Mr. Liu Shahe, poet and literary critic, who has done much to introduce Taiwanese poetry to mainland readers.
It is indeed high time that Taiwanese literature was recognized and better known in the Western world. We sincerely hope that this anthology will be instrumental in promoting and furthering interest in modern Taiwanese poetry.
N.G.D. Malmqvist