Recent Books

An Empty House; Korean-American Poetry

Choi Yearn-hong; Homa & Sekey Books: 133pp., $14.95

Edited by Korean-American poet Choi Yearn-hong, ``An Empty House'' is a sequel to ``Fragrance of Poetry,'' which received rave acclaims in the United States. The second collection presents 94 poems by 12 Korean-American poets, including 12 of the editor's poems: ``Foggy Rain,'' ``An Empty House'' and ``War Against Terror.''

Most of the poems, which are translated from Korean to English, feature the poets' nostalgia about their homeland, suffering, solitude and emotions. Their lyrics reflect recent tragedies such as the families of victims of the Virginia Tech rampage in April last year and the war in Iraq. Also, the poems are based on universal themes of nature, family, joy and sorrow.

Choi says in the introduction of the book that even a translation can reveal the depth of the poet's grief, pain, homesickness and joy. Choi has published four books both in English and Korean.

- Chung Ah-young