Kuo Shui-t'an

Kuo Shui-t'an (Chinese: 郭水潭; February 7, 1908 – March 9, 1995), also known by the pen name Chien-chih (千尺), was a prominent figure in the literature of the Saline Land during the Japanese rule period in Taiwan.

Kuo Shui-t'an initially entered the Taiwanese literary field through the creation of Japanese short poems, and his works were featured in the Imperial Year 2594 Poetry Collection (皇紀二五九四年歌集).

[2] Notably, his poem "Mourning at the Coffin" (向棺木慟哭), lamenting the death of his second son, was hailed by critic Lung Ying-tsung (龍瑛宗) as "the most touching masterpiece of 1939."

In 1935, his autobiographical novel in the form of a diary, A Man's Memoirs (某男人的手記), earned him the Newcomer Award in the Main Island from the Osaka Daily News (大阪每日新聞).

Kuo's works often revealed personal thoughts, exposed societal inequalities, and expressed resistance against the oppression of Japanese imperial rule.