Established poet and author Lin Heng-tai (林亨泰) passed away on Sept. 23 at the age of 100. Upon hearing the news, Culture Minister Shih Che conveyed his sincere condolences and deepest respect for Lin's contribution to Taiwan's poetry and literature. He stated that Lin was a truly iconic Taiwanese poet, by succeeding in transforming his creative medium from the Japanese to the Chinese language, his works are inspiring resources for future generations.
Born in Taichung in 1924, Lin mainly worked on modern Chinese poetry and literary criticism. After graduating from the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College in 1950, he taught at the Beidou Middle School. He was very active on the literary scene and joined several poetry clubs. He also founded the Li Poetry Society (笠詩社) in 1964.
Since his debut with "The Voice of Soul" (靈魂の產聲) in 1949, Lin never stopped producing literary works until "The Poetry of Life" (生命之詩) in 2009. Besides that, he also authored several works on literary theories and pedagogy. As a faithful practitioner of modernism, Lin was praised by his peers as exemplary and deeply influential.
In recognition of his exceptional achievements and contributions, Lin received numerous accolades such as the National Award for Arts (國家文藝獎), Wu San-lien Literary Award (吳三連獎文學獎), and others. As the epitome of the development of Taiwan's poetry, his philosophy encompassed modernism and was often connected to the local consciousness and Taiwanese identity.