The Mysterious Hualien

Born in 1953 in Hualien, Taiwan, Chen I-chih is the author of five collections of poetry, A Setting Sun Against Rising Moon (1977), Blue Gown (1985), The Newlywed's Departure, The Unfortunate Faraway Place (1993), and The Anxious Dwelling (1998). In addition to writing poetry, Chen also writes essays, stories, and has compiled and edited a number of anthologies of modern poetry.

His work, which has garnered numerous awards in Taiwan, combines elements of classical Chinese poetry with modern images and subjects. Poems such as "Alzheimerian Love", "Black Hole", "I Think and I Worry", and "Journal of an Exterrestrial", reveal contemporary themes while his poems are often traditional in their perspectives. Similarly, Chen combines lyrical narration and a strong sense of nostalgia with detailed, realistic descriptions that reveal the dark vision of his subjects: the old, jilted lovers, and the psychologically troubled.

He is at present editor of the Literary Supplement to the United Daily News.