한국의 위대한 시인이자 독립운동의 기개를 지닌 윤동주의 별빛 같은 50편의 시와 학연 이영희 작가의 수채 캘리그래피가 어우러진 책이다. 학연 이영희 작가는 오랜 시간 동안 윤동주의 시를 꼼꼼히 해석하였고 이를 바탕으로 그만의 멋진 수채 캘리그래피 작품을 탄생시켰다. 또한 원어민이 문학적으로도 꼼꼼하게 감수를 한 영어는 윤동주의 시어에 보다 가깝게 쓰여진 영어번역이다. 시와 수채 캘리그래피, 영어 번역뿐만 아니라 부록으로 윤동주의 일생을 보여줄 연보와 문학관 및 하숙집, 백주년 기념관 등도 실어 그의 향기를 조금이라도 더 느껴볼 수 있도록 하였다.
Born and raised in northern Manchuria during the colonial period of Korea, Yun Dong-ju was a poet of the utmost purity, beauty, and sincerity. His posthumously published collection of poems under the title Sky, wind, stars, and poems is one of the all-time favorites of Korean readers. Wishing not to have so much as a speck of shame toward heaven until the day I die, I suffered, even when the wind stirred the leaves. (From Foreword) In simple diction and straightforward expressions, his poems sing of his love for his people, his compassion for the poor and destitute, and his hopes for freedom and independence. These themes still resonate deep within the hearts of the Korean people. His imprisonment and eventual death in 1945 in a Japanese prison lend great poignancy to his work.
Heartbreaking poetry, but the poems were so special that I couldn’t put it down. I wish the illustrations would have been on the same page as the respective poems, but that’s only a small detail.