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도종환

Do Jonghwan scrap

도종환

#Poet #Politician #Sentiment #ThePeopleLiterature #Realism

Category
Poetry 시
Target User
Adult 성인
Period
Contemporary 현대

Author Bio 작가 소개

Do Jong-Hwan (born 1955) is a Korean poet and politician.

1. Life

Do Jong-Hwan was born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. He studied Korean literature at Chungbuk National University and earned his Ph.D in Korean literature from Chungnam National University. Do made his literary debut in 1984, publishing five poems including "Godumi maeureseo" (고두미 마을에서 At Godumi Village) in the literary coterie magazine Bundansidae, and publishing "Maneulbateseo" (마늘밭에서 In the Garlic Field) in Literature and Practice in 1985. The death by cancer of his wife in 1985, just two years after they married, and a few months after the birth of their second child, inspired him to write a volume of love poems, Jeopsikkot dangsin (접시꽃 당신 Hollyhock You), which brought him critical acclaim and instant fame. After his wife's death, Do endeavored to embrace his life more fully. With the goal of improving Korea's educational standards, he served as the regional director for his teachers' union, and was also active as a regional leader for an organization promoting democracy. Though he lost his job as a teacher and was even jailed for his activities, he continued to fight for justice and a better future for the Korean people. In 2012, Do ran for the National Assembly under the Democratic Union Party proportional representation and was elected. He is currently a member of the National Assembly and former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He was also the interim president of the Democratic Party from 8 to 16 April 2021.

2. Writing

Do has been hailed for his use of simple, unadorned language in lyrical tributes to love and sorrow, underlined by an integrity informed by historical awareness. He emerged as a literary sensation with his second collection, Jeopsikkot dangsin, written in part as a tribute to his deceased wife who reminded him of hollyhocks. When he turns away “leaving a song by her grave," she follows him home “in the weeping of nameless insects;” when he heads home, "leaving a tear drop upon her grave,” she becomes "the rain that soaks through the core of [his] body." In order to overcome his anguish and despair, the poet embraces the world with a new perspective. Through his suffering, the poet has realized that life must go on even if it is more painful than death. Since then Do has published ten volumes of poetry and numerous anthologies and essay collections. He has written about the issue of the division of Korea, depicting the difficulties of a single people living in a divided country. In his work Do suggests new possibilities for uniting the two Koreas. He has received a number of major Korean literary prizes, including the Baek Seok Literary Award in 2011 for Sesieseo daseotsi sai (세시에서 다섯시 사이 Between Three and Five O’clock) and the Gong Cho Literature Award in 2012 for "Namue gidaeeo" (나무에 기대어 Leaning on a Tree), from the same collection. "Damjaengi" (담쟁이 Ivy) is one of Do Jong-Hwan’s most popular poems, reproduced thousands of times on the Internet by his admirers. Like many of his poems, it begins with a familiar scene linked to nature and the traditional countryside (modern apartment blocks rarely have ivy-covered walls) but then takes the scene as an image of a truth about human existence. The patient progress of ivy up a dry, harsh surface ends in victory as it reaches the top of the wall and passes beyond. Despair is overcome; new hope is born.

Works 작품