Poems from Korea

by Peter H. Lee (Editor)

The Koreans, according to the Chinese chronicles, are ‘the people who enjoy singing and dancing’ and who regaled their gods with dance and song. Since then poetry has been an essential part of Korean life and has been regarded as the highest of the arts. In this first comprehensive anthology of Korean poetry in English, first published in 1974, Peter Lee has selected and translated a wide variety of poems ranging from the Silla Dynasty in 57 BC to the middle of the twentieth century. The poems chosen reflect not only the native Korean tradition, but also the great tradition of Chinese poetry. They often possess a deep lyrical quality, many are rich in religious overtones or derive their beauty from contemplation of nature and through many of the poems runs the feeling of the closeness of Korean life to the earth.

Genres: Poetry

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

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

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems were really good. Idk I had to read it for class.

[Jari Mon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are occasional gems in the collection. However, the introduction for each poem felt too brief to be meaningful or helpful to the context. The number of poems per author was also limited to only one, making the transitions seem abrupt and the overall collection soulless.