London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

A meeting with Brother Anthony

LKL talks to Brother Anthony on poetry, tea, temple stays and romanisation Wednesday 22 July 2009 On the twelfth floor of an anonymous building in the Sincheon area of Seoul there’s an overcrowded study. From a cassette player in the corner wafts the soothing sounds of kayageum and daegeum sanjo. Books line every available inch … [Read More]

Leading Korean poet comes to London

Ko Un (고은), one of Korea’s most prominent living poets, will be giving his first ever UK poetry reading at the Korean Cultural Centre, London on Tuesday, 29 April at 7.00-8.30pm. “It is very striking to see the kind of tuning fork [Ko Un] has been, re-inventing himself in every decade through the turns in … [Read More]

Che in Verse launched

Loyal readers who have followed this site from its early months may recall a question posed by a visitor about a year ago. Gavin O’Toole was working on assembling a compilation of poems from around the world about the great revolutionary Che Guevara. He’d heard that there was a couple of poems about him by … [Read More]

Che Guevara in Korean poetry (part 2)

Thanks to daeguowl for researching this interesting question, and for coming up with some additional poems to consider. And a special thanks to Brother Anthony of Taize for giving of his time, and providing translations for the two key poems which our visitor was interested in. Here they are: Memoirs by Ko Un Translated by … [Read More]

Che Guevara in Korean poetry

Here’s a fascinating query I just received from a reader. I am compiling a book of poetry from around the world about the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. I have been referred to the titles of two Korean poems that make indirect references to Che: In front of Kim Nam-ju’s grave written by Min Yeong in … [Read More]