Kim Hyunseung
김현승
Introduction
Kim Hyunseung (1913~1975) was a Korean poet. One the greatest intellectual poets of Korea, Kim is celebrated for his unique poetry characterized by a Christian worldview and humanism.1) Nicknamed ‘Poet of Autumn’, Kim published such monumental works as “Gaeurui gido” (가을의 기도 Prayer of Autumn) (1956)2) and “Jeoldae godok” (절대 고독 Absolute Solitude) (1970).3)
Life
He was born in 1913 into a devout Christian family in Pyongyang as the second of six children. He spent the first six years of his life in Jeju, and then moved to Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, where his family settled down. He graduated from Soongil School and Soongsil Middle School, before entering Soongsil College in April 1932. However, the school closed down due to a crisis involving visits to Japanese shrines, and thus he never graduated. While at Soongsil College, he developed interest in sports, film and literature. After reading Pippa’s Song by Robert Browning, he began writing poetry himself. 4) His poems published in the school journal Soongsil caught the eyes of Yang Joo-dong, who then helped Kim make his literary debut in 1934 by publishing them in the Dong-A Ilbo.
His chronic stomach disease forced him to take leave of absence from school firstly in 1933 and then in 1936. The second time he returned to his hometown, he took up a teaching post at Soongil School. During this period, he was arrested for being a political offender over the issue of visiting Japanese shrines. He got married in 1938, and returned to Soongsil College in Pyongyang—only to find that the school had closed down. He struggled to write poetry, and until liberation, made a living by working as a school teacher, a finance union clerk, and a clothing company employee.5)
After liberation, he joined the newspaper Honam Shinmun, but quit soon after. In June 1946, he was appointed Vice-principle of Soongil Middle School. He became Associate Professor firstly at Chosun University in April 1951, and then at Soongsil University in June 1960, where he was later promoted to full professorship. After that, he taught at Chonbuk National University, Yonsei University, Duksung Women's University, and Seorabal College of Arts, and continued to write poetry. In May 1953, while staying in Gwangju, he founded the literary journal New Literature 6) with other writers in the region. He served as Director and then Vice-president of the Literary Society of Korea. Kim Hyunseung died in April 1975 after collapsing in class at Soongsil University.
Writing
Union of Nature and Religion
Although Kim Hyunseung made his literary debut during the Japanese colonial era, he received relatively little attention at first and only resumed writing after liberation. The development of his writing career can be divided into three phases. His early poetry— Gim Hyeonseungsicho (김현승시초 Poetry of Kim Hyunseung) (1957) 7) and Onghojaui norae (옹호자의 노래 Song of the Defender) (1963) 8)—is characterized by the combination of nature and religious rituals. The poet’s interest in nature and sentimentalism is evident in his debut poem “Sseulsseulhan gyeoul jeonyeogi ol ttae dangsindeureun” (쓸쓸한 겨울 저녁이 올 때 당신들은 In the Lonely Winter Evening), and his fascination with nature repeatedly embodies itself in the subject matter of ‘autumn’. Nicknamed ‘Poet of Autumn’, Kim wrote a number of poems about ‘autumn’. One of them is “Gaeurui gido” (가을의 기도 Prayer of Autumn) (1956), in which ‘autumn’ serves as a momentum for us to recognize life’s fate and affirm love and positivity. This mature outlook on nature and life is further developed in “Nae maeumeun mareun namutgaji” (내 마음은 마른 나뭇가지 My Heart Is a Dry Twig). The lonesome inner world of the poetic self as represented by the ‘dry twig’ adds to the overall sense of desolation. Here, ‘autumn’ is depicted as a season that welcomes death. In the face of death, the poetic self prays to God with reverence. Through the conversation between the absolute being and the lonely human, the poet hoped to overcome the finite nature of human existence and achieve perpetuity through faith.
Separation from God
In the second phase—Gyeongohan godok (견고한 고독 Firm Solitude) (1968) 9) and Jeoldae godok (절대고독 Absolute Solitude) (1970) 10)—the pious faith found in his early poetry transforms into scepticism about the absolute authority of God. This scepticism is then illustrated as ‘solitude’ present in the process of ascertaining one’s own subjectivity. The negative images of ‘solitude’ associated with ‘loneliness’ and ‘death’ in his early poetry can no longer be found in “Jeoldae godok” (절대고독 Absolute Solitude). In this poem, ‘absolute solitude’ is a mark of a new start and a new life. The poet comes face to face with his true self and calmly accepts himself. By doing so, he confirms that the infiniteness of God does not exist and that human existence is inherently lonely.
Return to Faith
After collapsing from high blood pressure, the poet returned to the pious world of faith. In “Majimang jisangeseo” (마지막 지상에서 The Last World on Earth), 11) the crow from his early poetry appears again, carrying signs of death. However, unlike in Kim’s early poetry, we find a surprisingly relaxed attitude towards the end of life.
Works
1) Poetry Collections
《김현승시초(金顯承詩抄)》, 문학사상사, 1957 / Gim Hyeonseungsicho (Poetry of Kim Hyunseung), Literature & Thought, 1957
《옹호자의 노래》, 선명문화사, 1963 / Onghojaui norae (Song of the Defender), Seonmyeongmunhwasa, 1963
《견고한 고독》, 관동출판사, 1968 / Gyeongohan godok (Firm Solitude), Gwangdong, 1968
《절대 고독》, 성문각, 1970 / Jeoldae godok (Absolute Solitude), Seongmungak, 1970
《김현승 시 전집》, 관동출판사, 1974 / Gimhyeonseung si jeonjip (Complete Works of Kim Hyunseung), Gwandong, 1974
《마지막 지상에서》(사후 시집), 창작과 비평사, 1975 / Majimang jisangeseo (The Last World on Earth), Changbi, 1975
《김현승 시 전집》, 민음사, 2005 / Gimhyeonseung si jeonjip (Complete Works of Kim Hyunseung), Minumsa, 2005
《다형 김현승 시 선집》, 한림출판사, 2009 / Dahyeong gimhyeonseung si seonjip (Complete Works of Kim Hyunseung), Hollym, 2009
2) Essay Collections
《고독과 시》, 지성산업, 1977 / Godokgwa si (Solitude and Poetry), Jiseongsanup, 1977
《가을에는 기도하게 하소서》, 예전사, 1984 / Gaeureneun gidohage hasoseo (Please Allow Me to Pray in Autumn), Yejeonsa, 1984
《김현승 평전: 지상에서 마지막 고독》, 문학세계사, 1984 / Gimhyeonseung pyeongjeon: jisangeseo majimang godok (A Critical Biography of Kim Hyunseung), Munhaksegyesa, 1984
3) Literary Criticism
《한국 현대시 해설》, 관동출판사, 1972 / Hangung hyeondaesi haeseol (A Companion to Modern Korean Poetry), Gwandong, 1972
Awards
North Jeolla Province Culture Award (1955)
Seoul Culture Award (1973)
Works in Translation
《한국의 5월: 김현승 시선》 / Der Mai Koreas, Pendragon, 2004
《절대 고독》 / La Solitude absolue, Circé, 2004
References
(1) Notes
1) Naneun munhagida:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=3581499&cid=60538&categoryId=60538
2) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=564664&cid=46645&categoryId=46645
3) Doosan Encyclopedia:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1200521&cid=40942&categoryId=32868
4) Naneun munhagida:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=3581499&cid=60538&categoryId=60538
5) Jang Tae-dong’s Seoul Literary Tour:
http://www.seouland.com/arti/culture/culture_general/1145.html
6) Doosan Encyclopedia:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1165917&cid=40942&categoryId=35591
7) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=553939&cid=46645&categoryId=46645
8) Encyclopedia of Modern Korean Literature
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=334773&cid=41708&categoryId=41737
9) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1821303&cid=46645&categoryId=46645
10) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1821305&cid=46645&categoryId=46645
11) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:
https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1821304&cid=46645&categoryId=46645
12) LTI Korea Digital Library: https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/10430
13) LTI Korea Digital Library: https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/10006
(2) See Also:
Son Gwangeun, “Understanding Kim Hyunseung’s Poetry”, Munhakchunchu 57, 2006.
Kim Jong-hoe, “Reading Kim Hyunseung again 40 Years after His Death”, Munhakchunchu 89, 2014.
Baek Su-in, “New Literature and Kim Hyunseung”, Munhakchunchu 100, 2017.
Lee Sang-ok, “Transformation of Kim Hyunseung’s Poetry”, Korean Modern Literary Criticism 41, 2013.
Hong Yong-hee, “Dialectic of Solitude and Sanctity”, Korean Cultural Studies 43, The Association for Korean Cultural Studies, 2013.
Kim Hyunseung Commemoration Service, Kim Hyunseung’s Life and Literature, 2015.
Yu Seong-ho, Study of Kim Hyenseong’s Poetry, Somyeong, 2015.
