A Memorial Service for J. H. Prynne Held at Sun Yat-sen University

This academic event report documents a memorial service for the British poet Jeremy Halvard Prynne, held at Sun Yat-sen University on 19 June 2026 and organized by the English Poetry Studies Institute. It reviews Prynne’s more than four decades of scholarly and personal ties with Chinese academics, poets, and students, including his work as a visiting professor, mentor, advisor, and supporter of English poetry studies in China. The report records tributes by Ou Hong, Lei Yanni, Li Zhimin, Guangkui Zhang, and other scholars, as well as the reading of Prynne’s handwritten letter to members of the Institute. It also highlights Zhang’s performance of a bilingual elegy inspired by Prynne’s poetics of difficulty. The event is presented as both a solemn remembrance and a continuation of Prynne’s enduring academic and poetic legacy.