Song Ki-wŏn

Song Ki-wŏn
Hangeul	송기원
Hanja	宋 基 元
Revised Romanization	Song Gi-weon
McCune- Reischauer	Song Ki-wŏn
See also : Korean name

Song Ki-wŏn (born July 1, 1947 in Posŏng , Chŏllanam-do ) is a South Korean writer and poet .

Life

Song Ki-wŏn was born on July 1, 1947 in Posŏng , Chŏllanam-do . While in senior high school, his poem Flowerbed (꽃밭) was selected for a nationwide high school literary competition sponsored by Korea University . Two more of his poems were selected for similar competitions the following year. In 1968 he began his studies at the Sorabol Academy of Art . In 1980 he was involved in the incident involving the " Kim Dae-jung Rebellion Conspiracy" (김대중 내란 음모 사건), which is why he had to serve a three-year prison sentence. In 1986 he was re-arrested for the problems caused by the publication of the magazine minjung formation emerged (민중 교육). In the 1980s he took an active part in the democracy movement and wrote a collection of poems and anthologies with short stories.

His series of poems In Wolmulli (월문리 에서), which he wrote at the beginning of his career, confirms the great difference between farmers and intellectuals and tries to uncover the hidden wisdom in the life of the former. From the point of view of an observing first-person narrator, the author describes the social circumstances of the farmers and emphasizes that work is a mediating activity between people and nature. In doing so, he refers to the power that rural areas have and examines the various possibilities for a connection between intellectuals and farmers.

In his work In Wolmulli 4 (월문리 에서 4) there is a scene in which an old man from the north of Korea, who himself showed no interest in politics, when the whole nation loudly called for the reunification of the families that were torn apart as a result of the Korean War , stood up suddenly goes in search of his younger brother. This last scene is especially impressive because it shows the life of the farmers and their wisdom.

Song's latest work I Walk to You, So Come to Me (너 에게 가마 나 에게 오라) is set in a market square and depicts the great efforts of ordinary people who seek love and hope. Although their lives are marked by desperation, insanity and violence, the author describes their corrupt behavior not as a result of their corrupt nature, but as the result of the desolation surrounding them. Song's writing style is particularly effective in showing that there is a shimmering, ghostly beauty inherent in people's grotesque lives.

Work

Korean

Novels

• 열 아홉 살의 시 The story I wrote myself 19 years ago (1977)
• 월행 Wŏlhaeng (1979)
• 다시 월문리 에서 Again in Wŏlmulli (1984)

Poetry collections

• 그대 언 살이 터져 시가 빛날 때 When Your Frozen Meat Shatters And The Poems Light Up (1984)
• 마음 속 붉은 꽃잎 Red Petals in My Heart (1990)

Translations

German

• Meditation on Women , Pendragon (2009) ISBN 978-3865321503
• Human scent , Pendragon (2006) ISBN 978-3865320384

English

• A Journey under the Moonlight , in Bi-lingual Edition Modern Korean Literature, Volume 39, Asia Publishers (2013) ISBN 978-8994006024

Awards

• 2003 - 제 06 회 김동리 문학상 ( Kim Tong-ni Literature Prize )
• 2003 - 제 11 회 대산 문학상 ( Taesan Literature Prize )
• 2001 - 제 09 회 오영수 문학상 ( O Yŏng-su Literature Prize )
• 1993 - 제 24 회 동인 문학상 ( Tongin Literature Prize )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Common transcriptions can be viewed under Korean Literature Authors Name Authority Database: 송기원 ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on June 15, 2014 (English) 
2. ↑ 다음 백과 사전: 송기원 Retrieved June 15, 2014 (Korean)
3. ↑ Depending on the source, December 8th is also given as a possible date of birth. Because July 1st is much more common, this date is used throughout this article. 다음 백과 사전 네이버 인물 검색 Retrieved June 15, 2014 (Korean)
4. ↑ Author Database of LTI Korea: Song Giwon ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on June 15, 2014 (English) 

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Korean. Song is the family name here, Ki-wŏn is the first name.