Author: Park Hi-jin
Translated by: Julie Pickering, Ko Chang-soo
Publisher: Homa + Sekey, 2006
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From the publisher’s website:
This selection of Park Hi-jin’s poems includes about ninety of his poems of diverse lengths from among some two thousand poems he has published so far. Though they may not represent a fair cross section of his poetic works in content and expression, they do convey some of his more important poetic utterances. Park’s subject matter subsumes the worlds of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Pungryudo. His persistent pursuit of the Korean cultural identity stands as unmistakable signposts throughout his poetic career. Many of his poems pay tribute to the mysterious harmony among heaven, earth, and humanity. All in all, his work as a whole presents memorable vignettes and vistas of Korean history, culture and traditions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Korea in 1931, Park Hi-jin graduated from Korea University before he made his debut as a poet through the monthly Literature and Arts in 1951. He has won numerous literary distinctions including the Woltan Literary Prize, the Modern Poetry Award, the Sangwha Poetry Award, and the Korea Poets Association Prize. In 1999, he was awarded the Bogwan Cultural Medal for his literary achievements. Park is regarded as one of the most important poets Korea has produced.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Chang Soo Ko has received the Poetry Prize, the Jung-mun Literary Award, the Poetry Prize Chosen by Poets, and the Modern Korean Literature Translation Award, in Korea. He has also received the Bolan International Merit Award (for poetry) in Pakistan, and the Lucian Blaga International Poetry Festival grand prize in Romania.
Julie Pickering is a translator and editor living in Seattle. Her literary translations include The Prophet and Other Stories, The Descendents of Cain, Father and Son, and A Distant and Beautiful Place.