Chinese poet Bei Dao will lecture and read from his works at Samford University Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in Brock Forum, located in Dwight Beeson Hall. The public is invited free of charge.

Dao, born in Beijing in 1949, became the poetic voice of his generation in the 1970s and is considered one of the most gifted writers to emerge from the massive upheavals of modern China. Since 1987, he has lived and taught in Europe and the U.S. In 2000, he was considered a popular contender to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

His work has been translated into 30 languages, including five poetry volumes in English: Unlock (2000), Landscape Over Zero (1996), Forms of Distance (1994), Old Snow (1992), The August Sleepwalker (1990); a collection of stories, Waves(1990); and two collections of essays, Blue House (2000) and Midnight's Gate (2005).

At Samford, Dao will read from his poetry in Chinese, with English translation by Samford English professor Julie Steward. He will also read, in English, sections from Midnight's Gate.

A time for book signing will follow his reading. Dao's Samford visit is sponsored by the school's English Department and Howard College of Arts and Sciences. The presentation is the second in a series of four guest lecturers sponsored by the Samford Writers Series during 2005-06.

For information, call the Samford English Department at (205) 726-2946.