The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Korean Poetry

by Peter H. Lee (Editor)

This groundbreaking anthology, edited by the veteran scholar who founded the field of Korean literature in the West, offers a representative selection from the four major genres of native Korean the Silla songs known as hyangga , Koryo songs, sijo , and kasa. The performance of oral songs was central to the religious life of ancient Koreans, and their passion for song and poetry is as evident in these texts today as it was to the earliest Chinese observers. Therefore, in addition to such classics as the Songs of Flying Dragons , the great eulogy-cycle compiled from 1445 to 1447, the volume also includes folk songs and shamanist narrative songs. Within each genre works are arranged chronologically so that the reader can trace artistic developments over time. The translations, many commissioned especially for this volume, have been prepared by distinguished scholars and literary translators and are fully annotated, making them ideal for use in the classroom.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies, Asian Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Peter H. Lee (1929-) was born in Seoul, Korea. He received his B.A. from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his M.A. from Yale in 1953. Lee went on to study various languages and comparative literatures at universities in Switzerland, Italy, England and Munich, Germany, where he earned his Ph.D. from Ludwig-Maximilian University in 1958. After holding positions at Columbia, Hawaii, and UC Berkeley, Lee came to UCLA in 1987 to begin his distinguished teaching career in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures as a professor of Korean and comparative literature. Professor Lee is an academic pioneer, credited with single-handedly developing the field of Korean literature, especially in a comparative context, in the West. He is the author of 16 books and numerous articles.

(from http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:...)

Reviews

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology (in translation) of 134 poems by 112 known authors, as well as a couple dozen anonymous. The poems represent poets from the seventh to the nineteenth centuries, and eight different styles or genres; there is also a selection of poetry originally written in Chinese by Korean poets.

The subjects include nature, love, religion and satire. A few, particularly the religious ones, are somewhat obscure, but most were very accessible without any cultural background knowledge. Of course the poetry is of uneven quality (as far as I could tell in translation), but there was a lot of very worthwhile and enjoyable material here.

I was especially interested in the last poem in the book, the original version of the Princess Bari story, having read Hwang Sok-yong's novel based on it.

[Omar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why can't I just read cozy books like this? Why do I have to write my papers for uni?
Why do I have to get up for a internship in 7 hours?

God I miss being a NEET

[Tracy Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely. I borrowed this book because I teach a continuing ed short-form poetry writing course, and my favorite form is the Korean sijo - there are nearly a hundred in this book! And so many are not only beautifully written, they are also deeply moving, and touch my heart -the attunement to nature, the longing for a lost love, the appreciation of the simple joys of life and how they can enrich even one living in poverty.

What most struck me is how many were written 500 or more years ago, and yet I connect with the poet now across time, speaking soul to soul. What a gift.