The Years in My Hair

Over the decades, Dan Ying has forged a literary oeuvre of subtle and profound works influenced by classical Chinese poetry and Buddhist and Taoist philosophies, expressing the poet’s inner world in simple, graceful language rich in emotion, metaphor and meaning. This book offers a comprehensive view of this distinguished Singaporean poet’s literary oeuvre, spanning six eventful decades. Starting with Dan Ying’s early work that shows her great love for classical Chinese poetry – in particular that of the Tang and Song periods – as well as values informed by Buddhist and Taoist philosophies, the collection explores themes such as nature and simple living, poverty and modern-day womanhood, and the act of writing itself. Singapore summers; late autumn in America; lyrical meditations on the art of Taichi; adrift fireflies; a sorrowful Erhu player etc are some of the wistful encounters in this collection, vividly rendered into English by Christina Ng.