Taigi poet Lin Tsung-yuan (林宗源) passed away on Nov. 20 at the age of 90. Upon hearing the news, Minister of Culture Li Yuan expressed his sincere condolences. Praising Lin’s enthusiasm and belief for Taiwanese Taigi literature, Minister Li noted that Lin’s works not only had a profound impact on the Taiwanese literary scene, but also laid a solid foundation for Taiwanese Taigi literature.
Born in Tainan in 1935, he was a co-founder of Yam Poetry Society (蕃薯詩社) and an active member of several literary groups, including Contemporary Poetry Society (現代詩社), Li Poetry Society (笠詩社), and Taiwan PEN (臺灣筆會). Lin was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature at the 16th World Congress of Poets held in Japan in 1996. He was also a recipient of numerous awards for his poems, such as the Wu Zhuoliu Literary Award (吳濁流文學獎) and the Ronghou Taiwanese Poetry Prize (榮後臺灣詩獎).
A pioneer in Taiwanese Taigi poetry, Lin believed that Taigi is a language of daily life, with lively and intriguing phraseology. He first tried writing in his mother tongue in the 1960s, and shifted his focus to Taiwanese Taigi poetry in the mid-1970s. Encompassing a wide range of topics, Lin’s poems reflect his depiction of emotional worlds, observation of human nature, affection for his motherland, and concerns about public issues.
Lin was hailed as the “father of Taiwanese Taigi Literature” by fellow poets, highlighting his status as an important contributor to the development of Taiwanese Taigi literature.