Author: Kerry Shawn Keys

Kerry Shawn Keys is a US poet and translator living in Lithuania. He has published nearly 50 books, ranging from poetry to plays, fiction to children's books, also including translations from Portuguese and Lithuania. He is the recipient of NEA and Poetry Society of America awards, and is a member of International PEN.
Poetry

A Century of China’s New Poetry

Kerry Shawn Keys

Six poems by Mo Yan and others, spanning generations – edited by Ming Di

China’s New Poetry Movement was started in Beijing in 1917 by Hu Shi (1891–1962) and reinforced by the May 4th Movement in 1919. But what was its esthetic goal, what influence does it still exert on cultural life in China, and what has been challenged? New Poetry From China: 1917-2017, a new anthology, tries to address the many dimensions of the movement, covering works from most of the important poets still relevant today. 120 poets were selected, from Hu Shi to contemporary voices, including dissident poets. Mo Yan and Liu Xiaobo are back to back on the pages, and many other poets are translated into English for the first time. Two major traditions within the New Poetry Movement have been pushing each other forward: Spoken Language Poetry and Neoclassical Poetry, both are experimental in language and form but with different approaches. We hope you enjoy this small sample of six poems below, representing the span of different generations of poets, from Zheng Min, born in 1920, to Su Xiaoyan born in 1992. – Ming Di