Death of a Poet.docVIP

Death of a Poet 　　“Even with these dark eyes， a gift of the dark night， I go to seek the shining light.” This abstract two-line poem， titled A Generation， was published in a Chinese poetry magazine in 1980， bringing overnight recognition for its author Gu Cheng. At 24 years old， Gu quickly rose to become one of China’s most prominent poets and a leading figure in what came to be known as the “misty poetry movement.” 13 years later， Gu committed suicide on Waiheke Island， New Zealand， where he and his wife Xie Ye， also a poet， had lived for 5 years. Xie died several hours later in hospital， from injuries inflicted by her husband before he took his own life. While the public acknowledged the cultural value of Gu’s vast catalog of groundbreaking poetry， the gruesome details of the murder-suicide were difficult to ignore ? one rumor had it that Xie’s injuries were inflicted with an axe. It is widely known that the conflict between Gu and Xie was linked to the involvement of another woman： Ying’er， Gu’s lover. Ying’er had spent two years living with Gu and Xie on Waiheke Island ? six months before their deaths， Gu and Xie wrote a novel together， titled Ying’er. Now， twenty years later， a documentary titled Exiled Hometown， the first film about Gu Cheng and his death， was released in December 2013 by the Culture Channel of Phoenix New Media， a major news portal in China. What exactly happened in the run up to Gu’s death， and who really was this immensely popular yet little understood young writer？ Endeavoring to shed new light on these questions， the film has rekindled the curiosity of readers and the literary scene. Two decades later， the poet’s talent， influence and mystique still linger. The Misty Movement China in the 1980s saw an age of literature and poetry which， in the view of critic Tang Xiaodu， an old friend of Gu’s， functioned as a “substitute for religion” following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976， before the arrival of commercialism and popular culture. Gu Ch