Poems by Ko Un; Translated from Korean to English by Brother Anthony of Taize, Kim Young-moo and Gary Gach: 365pp., 25,650 won
Ko Un is one of Korea's leading poets, twice nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 2005 and 2006. Now readers can enjoy the writer's works in English with `` Songs for Tomorrow: A Collection of Poems 1960-2002 by Ko Un.''
The book is comprised of his early works like ``A Poet's Heart'' from ``Other Shore Sensibility''(1960), ``Journey with Hans'' from ``Seaside Poems'' and also his later works like ``A Shooting Star'' from ``What?'' (1991) and ``Name,'' from ``Himalaya Poems'' (2000).
``Ko Un is, indeed, like a force of nature. Within poetry, the amazing array of kinds of poetry you'll find here has caused literary critics to call him `The Ko Uns' rather than Ko Un,'' the translators write in the introduction.
``Songs of Tomorrow'' also includes a translated version of Ko's preface, where he takes readers to his childhood, when he dreamed of becoming a poet and also his journey to becoming a writer.
Considering the number of works the poet has created for the past 51 years (the official number of his books stands 135), this small pocketbook will be able to satisfy readers who are looking for some of the best works of Ko in English.
-Han Sang-hee