Songs for Tomorrow: Poems 1960-2002

by Ko Un

In this long awaited full survey of the poetic writing of Korea’s leading literary spokesperson, the translators have gathered poems from 42 years, representing numerous of the author’s 135 books. Born in 1933 in southwestern Korea, Ko Un grew up in a Japanese-controlled land that was soon to experience the horrors of the Korean War. In 1952 he became a Buddhist monk, and began writing in the late 1950s. Since that time, Ko has been recognized as one of the most notable of living Korean writers and has regularly been nominated and short-listed for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Green Integer previously published his Ten Thousand Lives (2005), a selection from Maninbo . As John Feffer wrote of that book in The Nation , “ Maninbo , his masterpiece, is the people made flesh. Thanks to Ko Un, they continue to walk among us, all 10,000 of them.” As the Kyoto Journal observed “It is a monumental work of twenty-five volumes containing short poetic portraits evoking, one by one, the many people Ko Un has encountered in his life, beginning with his childhood village and expanding out to figures in literature and history.”

Genres: Poetry, Asian Literature

347 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

In korean: 고 은

Ko was born Ko Untae in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province in 1933. He was at Gunsan Middle School when war broke out.
The Korean War emotionally and physically traumatized Ko and caused the death of many of his relatives and friends. Ko's hearing suffered from acid that he poured into his ears during an acute crisis in this time and it was further harmed by a police beating in 1979. In 1952, before the war had ended, Ko became a Buddhist monk. After a decade of monastic life, he chose to return to the active, secular world in 1962 to become a devoted poet. From 1963 to 1966 he lived on Jejudo, where he set up a charity school, and then moved back to Seoul. His life was not calm in the outer world, and he wound up attempting suicide (a second time) in 1970.
Around the time the South Korean government attempted to curb democracy by putting forward the Yusin Constitution in late 1972, Ko became very active in the democracy movement and led efforts to improve the political situation in South Korea, while still writing prolifically and being sent to prison four times (1974, 1979, 1980 and 1989). In May 1980, during the coup d'etat led by Chun Doo-hwan, Ko was accused of treason and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. He was released in August 1982 as part of a general pardon.
After his release, his life became calmer; however, he startled his large following by revising many of his previously published poems. Ko married Sang-Wha Lee on May 5, 1983, and moved to Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, where he still lives. He resumed writing and began to travel, his many visits providing fabric for the tapestry of his poems. Since 2007, he is a visiting scholar in Seoul National University, and teaches poetics and literature.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found several of these poems snuck up on me with a delightful surprise. If you have time I suggest taking time to track this poet down. One that I especially liked for this forum is Books.

Where are my new books

My ten thousand books!
I'm throwing you all out
Without so much as one last drink together.
The street's full of trash so you won't feel lonely.
I'm throwing you all out.

All my ten thousand books!
No!
No! I have protested,
But between you and me
Conflict has been replaced
By a stupid peace
So I'm throwing you out.

Now, under a dumb, patient, daytime moon
I'm on my way
In search of new books,
Different from you old ones.
I'm on my way.
Throwing you you out over and over again.

I'm on my way somewhere,
Somewhere searching
For the hell of new wisdom,
I'm on my way.

Ko Un circa 1991 -- 2000

[Sara Adeeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just keep falling in love with this man books !
This one I really loved, of too many of his words :

« Sometimes people need this kind of path.
Even if they know nothing but their usual tasks,
they need a path to walk on for no reason,
under the constantly appearing and vanishing clouds
a path where they can yearn for something.
Like someone far away on a long journey.
As they walk along the path , they have to meet the sound of someone weeping, in the sky or in the earth,
no telling which. »

[David Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like when Ko tries to dispel something or break down a wall of some sort. He'successful some times more than others. But the good ones are nice. Hopefully he'll get more widespread recognition someday.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

reflects modern corean culture from 1950

to today







& to tomorrow

[Stephen Lindow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some lovely short pieces, although they are not Korean sijos as Un's work is as a rebellious mongrel. The horror he went through when young!

[Daniel Klawitter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some days
It seemed a guest

Some days
It seemed the host

All those years
I was dreaming
of smoke rising from chimneys

Even now, I'm not sure who a poem is.