From Booklist
Well regarded in Korea and short-listed for the Nobel Prize, Un has not been widely acknowledged in the U.S. With the recent publication of his novel,
Little Pilgrim (2005), and now this volume of diverse poems written during the last decade of the twentieth century and thoughtfully introduced and translated by You and Silberg, his American audience should grow. Whether offering vignettes on life in a Korean village, meditating on various aspects of nature, making philosophical propositions, candidly commenting on politics, or humorously depicting some folly of human nature, Un's poetry is simultaneously passionate and poignant, accessible and lively. Having been a monk, political activist, and Korean cultural figure for many of his 73 years, Un brings his eclectic and world-wise insights to poetry in a way that makes one feel as though he is speaking directly to one in a personal and casual manner. And this is just one of his many poetic gifts.
Janet St. JohnCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Ko Un's work springs from a passionate dedication to the task of making whole again the narratives of the disrupted lives of Korea's people. No one has done more for what is coming gradually but ever more clearly to be recognized as Korea's literature of the twenty-first century." - David McCann, Director of the Korea Institute at Harvard University "These poems have magic." - Willis Barnstone, author of Sweetbitter Love: Poems of Sappho"
