In the process of his searching and development as a writer, he was exposed to a mixed group of "friends" both classic and modern, Chinese and Western. Some of these friends have become almost "family" and have left a deep imprint on his thinking. Among those that Yu considers "family" are such influential creative talents as Wilde, van Gogh, and the Beatles.
作家在追尋、發展自我的過程中，他一路結交古今中外朋友，有些朋友後來甚至變成了「家人」，影響思維，佔據靈魂一方，王爾德（Oscar Wilde，19 世紀英國作家）、梵谷、披頭四，都是余光中所謂的「我的家人」。