The essay is perhaps the form of literature that offers the best glimpse of who a writer is as a person. From Chien Chen's words, we get fleeting glimpses of her background and zest for life, and also of her character that often casts a cold eye on the world around her.
散文是最能讓人有「文如其人」感受的文類，從簡媜的文字中，我們可以隱約感覺到她來自鄉土、熱愛生活、卻又時時冷眼旁觀的性格。