Xu Zhimo 徐志摩 (1897-1931)

Xu born into a wealthy family in Haining, Zhejiang province, is one of the most distinguished romantic poets of twentieth-century Chinese literature. He went to Cambridge in 1921 and began writing poems and essays in the vernacular style under the strong influence of romantic poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. He was also influenced by the French romantic and symbolist poets. Xu Zhimo is a representative figure of Xinyuepai 新月派 [Crescent moon society], who played a key role in the founding of the literary journals Xinyue 新月 [Crescent monthly] and Shikan 詩刊 [Poetry journal]. He served as an editor and professor in many universities before his death in a plane crash on 19 November from Nanjing to Beijing. His poetry collections include Feilengcui de yiye 翡冷翠的一夜 [A night in Florence] (1927), Zhimo de shi 志摩的詩 [Poems of Zhimo] (1925), Yunyou 雲遊集 [Roaming in the clouds] (1932).

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