Anxiety of Words: Contemporary Poetry by Korean Women

by Ch'oe Sung-Ja, Kim Hyesoon, Yi Yon-ju

Anxiety of Words focuses on the work of three contemporary Korean women poets whose fierce poetic voices display a critical consciousness of women’s lives under patriarchy, capitalism, and neocolonialism. Each poet is represented, in bilingual format, by approximately twenty poems and a biographical introduction. The volume also contains a detailed introduction to the Korean poetry scene by translator Don Mee Choi, with a focus on the historical and contemporary role of women poets in Korea.
The poetry of Ch’oe Sung-ja, Kim Hyesoon, and Yi Yon-ju consistently violates the literary expectations of gentle and subservient yoryu (female) poetry through innovative language and depictions of Korean women’s identities and struggles.
Ch’oe employs a confessional device that opposes and resists her outside world—the patriarchy. Kim employs conversational schemes that involve dialogues between multiple selves within a woman to discover her own identity, and Yi, before her suicide, embraced the language of decay and death, while her stark and powerful language was created in relation to the lives of economically and socially marginalized women in Korean society.
By challenging literary and gender expectations, Ch’oe, Kim, and Yi occupy a marginalized position in Korean society as women and poets. In the context of South Korea’s highly patriarchal and structured society, their poetry is defiant and revolutionary.

Genres: Poetry

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Chris Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered the poetry of Kim Hyesoon a few years ago, then translator/poet Don Mee Choi and contemporary Korean women fiction writers like Han Kang and Ha Seong-nan. This collection was a great next step in this reading journey, and I think there is some really unique and special work to be found in the world of contemporary Korean Women's literature, consistently tight and beautiful use of language with grotesque and gothic but brutally honest themes and images.

This book features three poets, two of which I hadn't read before. It has a good introduction and intros for each author, and the original korean text published side by side.
I only speak/read english and was only familiar with Kim's work, but felt the translations were great, as Don Mee Choi's always are, and the selections were well made. Each piece held its own and served to help demonstrate or exemplify an aspect of the author's work or the collective "movement".

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me entristece no poder invocar un holograma de mis profesores de Tendencias Literarias de la Universidad para que me expliquen todos los libros que me gustarían más de lo que ya me gustan si los entendiera

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A set of voices here that range from documentary-cool to violent, prophetic, fairy-talish, anatomical, kitschy. Poetry in resistance: the voices of the marginalized, softened, denied, turned-down of a society suddenly exploding. Ch'oe Sung-ja's work is my favorite. The most striking volume of international poetry I've read this year. Buy it and eat it.

[Julene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of three contemporary Korean poets is extradinary. They have lived and wrote in an oppressed government. I believe only one of them is still alive today. This is poetry that is bone deep in experience of the urge for freedom.

[Greg Bem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pivotal in understanding late-20th century female poets in Korea, and South Korean feminist poetry more generally. Don Mee Choi's translations are fantastically accessible. This work slices open the concept of poetry. The eviscerated result is both beautiful and startling.

[Víctor Bermúdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Will we be able to resist you all?
Will we be able to return you safely to death?
Divine Korea, where death and life commit incest.”

[Kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems in this collection by three female poets in recent decades is sometimes disturbing but always illuminating.

[Miriam Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was lent to me once, years ago and it holds one of my all time favourite poems, Memories of giving birth to a daughter, by Kim Hyesoon. Surreal, psychological, emotional and layered. I must own this book one day, if only to have my own copy of this poem.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing. I loved the feeling that I was looking through a window into the culture of these Korean women. I absolutely fell in love with the poetic style and content of Yi Yon-ju's poems and want to read her two collections.

[Jen]

I didn't rate this book at all as I don't think I am the appropriate audience for this. I don't have the literary background to judge this work...or even really to comprehend it. I took on this book as part of the 2017 Reader's Challenge, but it really was way beyond challenging for me and became frustrating almost immediately. I did not understand most of the poems despite rereading multiple times. Poetry is not my favorite genre, but I was attempting to step outside my comfort zone...unfortunately, this was too far for me and I wasn't able to benefit much when attempting to read this on my own. Perhaps in a literature course with a knowledgeable instructor I could have gained more from the experience.