Zhou Mengdie's Poetry of Consciousness

Book excerpt: The Taiwan writer Zhou Mengdie (1921) is one of the greatest living Chinese-language poets. His poems are full of Buddhist allusions which have earned him the nickname poet-monk, but as Lloyd Haft shows in this in-depth study, Zhou's remarkably cosmopolitan poems can be read equally well in the light of Freudian dream analysis, Husserl's phenomenology, and the theory of the palindrome and related literary forms. Zhou's true focus is not limited to 'Oriental' philosophy or 'Taiwanese' settings. It is on the very nature of consciousness. In Zhou's poetry, traditional Chinese terms and images, rather than imposing cultural boundaries, are re-framed in a sophisticated modern context which brings out their significance for worldwide readers. All poems discussed (including many in full or extensive translation) are presented both in English and in the Chinese original. This book will reveal new perspectives to readers interested in modern Taiwan literature, comparative literature, Chinese poetry and poetry in general, and the interfaces of poetry with philosophy, psychology, and the search for identity.