Forest (숲)

By Kim Heung-sook

This unique collection of unembellished poems, the fourth book by veteran author, journalist, columnist and radio presenter Kim Heung-sook, invites the reader into a realm of nature and self-reflection. Inspired by a forest in which the author regularly spent time away from the cacophony of the rest of the world, the 81 poems in this collection are largely confined to just five or six short concise, yet thought-provoking, lines. To use the author's own analogy: if poems are temples of words (as explicitly suggested by the Chinese character for poetry), these are temples of the simplest kind, with little more than a single tree and a fountain to their name.

Another unique aspect of Forest is the fact that the author, who spent much of her career in English-language media in Korea, wrote both the Korean and English versions of each poem, rather than relying on a separate translator.

Reflecting on nature, weather, the seasons, aging, love, travel, longing and more, the poems are divided into three categories: "Forest", "Road" and "Home". As well as being a collection of poems in its own right, Kim says, Forest is a call to other potential poets—in other words, everyone—to embrace the genre. As she says in the preface:

"This book, then, is a letter from one poet to all the poets of the world. I hope those who receive it will build as many of their own 'temples of words' as possible, for writing poetry is one of the most beautiful ways of saving the world from becoming a darker place."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seoul Selection
• Release date: Jun 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9788997639038

Book preview

FOREST

Copyright © 2012 by Kim Heung-sook

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Published by Seoul Selection

105-2 Sagan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

www.seoulselection.com

Printed in the Republic of Korea

ⓒ 김흥숙, 2012.

1판2쇄 2015년 7월 17일

펴낸곳 서울셀렉션㈜

등록 2003년 1월 28일(제1-3169호)

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Email: [e-mail]

www.seoulselection.com

eISBN: 978-89-97639-98-4

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Preface

A Letter to All the Poets of the World

All people are born poets, but many of them are not aware of the fact. Only a few realize that they are poets, and then often only by chance. I think I am one of them.

While reading a book by the window, while strolling around neighborhood alleys, while parting with an old friend, or while putting up with something intolerable or struggling to understand something incomprehensible, I found words flowing out of me and committed them to paper. That is how the poems in this book were born.

Some poems come to life after a much longer, more complicated process of alchemy. Poets are as varied as people, and poems as varied as poets. As is written somewhere in this book, the Chinese character for poetry (詩) depicts a temple of words.

Some temples are colorful and have charming wind chimes,