[The 22nd Lam Wing Sam Literary Award] New Poetry Award First Prize Su Shaolian: Live to be old, write to be old, and be older

Su Shaolian won the first prize of the 22nd Lam Wing Sam Literary Award for New Poetry. (Photo by reporter Hu Shunxiang)

[Reporter Sun Zi Ping/Report from Taipei] The famous poet Su Shaolian won the New Poetry Award. In his speech, he said: "Creation means living until you are old, writing until you are old, and comparing yourself with old age - comparing with time, comparing with yourself, comparing with young people, and comparing with peers. Only by comparing can you innovate and change yourself." He believes that only by daring to produce works and even participate in literary awards can he move forward. Moreover, he has more confidence to participate in the competition at his current age, "Don't be afraid of losing, don't be afraid of losing face."

However, what initially prompted him to decide to participate was the loneliness he felt while writing. "The winning works of the Lam Wing Sam Literary Award are highly discussed and everyone is paying attention. My works have always been rarely discussed. This is an opportunity. I would like to know if I win the award, will it cause discussion?" He feels that younger readers now seem to pay more attention to the poetry collections of the Yang Mu Literary Award or Zhou Mengdie Literary Award winners. His contemporaries, unless they are famous teachers or have a certain rank, it is difficult for them to continue to be read. Therefore, in order to challenge himself, in order to bring out the old and bring out the new, in order to attract more attention, and in order for his works to be relevant to the younger generation, he is willing to make himself anonymous and return to the competition ring.

Su Shaolian, the first prize winner of the 22nd Lam Wing Sam Literary Award for New Poetry, read the winning work "Mobile Phone Battery Only 5%". (Photo by reporter Hu Shunxiang)

The winning work "Mobile Phone Battery Only 5%" was written piece by piece by Su Shaolian, picking up the broken time in his daily life as a caregiver. Some judges read it as a love poem, while others thought the poem reflected the fate of mankind under the influence of technology. He said: "What I want to talk about is the connection between electricity and life. Mobile phones are a substitute for our lives, but if we happen to be on a mountain road and cannot charge, people will fall into despair. What should we do then? Electricity is important, mobile phones are important, but our lives are also important."

In the past, Su Shaolian used to roam around and take photos, but in the past ten years, as a caregiver, he had to buy groceries three times a week, go home to cook, and do housework, which has taken up most of his time. Therefore, the winning work was written paragraph by paragraph in his only spare time. The writing process went very smoothly, because he had to participate in the competition. In addition to the fifty lines specified in the essay competition method, his imagination for the winning work of the Lam Wing Sam Literary Award also included: "It must be contemporary and the performance must be more extraordinary." So, when writing, should he retain more of the original "So Siu-lian"? Or does it need a makeover? "I will break away from the topics I usually pay attention to and rethink whether the writing methods in the past can adapt to the current reviewers' vision."

In fact, this is not his first time participating in the competition. "I don't like it. People of my generation always mention their past achievements. The first half of my life was very good, but the second half of my life was nothing. The author just wants to continue writing and produce new works." Finally successfully won the first prize, he said: "Making the impossible possible is the happiest thing."