Kim Hyesoon (born 1955) is a South Korean poet.
1. Life
Kim Hyesoon is one of the most prominent and influential contemporary poets of South Korea. She received her Ph.D. in Korean literature from Konkuk University. Kim made her literary debut in 1979 with the publication of "Dambaereul piuneun siin" (담배를 피우는 시인 Poet Smoking a Cigarette) and four other poems in Literature and Intelligence. She has published 14 poetry collections including Seulpeumchiyak geoulgeurim (슬픔치약 거울그림 Sorrowtoothpaste Mirrorcream), Pieora dwaeji (피어라 돼지 I’m OK, I’m Pig!), Bulssanghan saranggigye (불쌍한 사랑기계 Poor Love Machine), Jugeumui jaseojeon (죽음의 자서전 Autobiography of Death), and Han janui bulgeun geoul (한 잔의 붉은 거울 A Drink of Red Mirror). She was the first woman poet to receive the prestigious Kim Su-Young and Midang awards, and her works have been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish. Kim lives in Seoul and teaches creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. Kim, along with her long-time translator, Don Mee Choi, received the 2019 International Griffin Poetry Prize, Canada’s most prestigious poetry award, for Autobiography of Death.
2. Writing
Kim Hyesoon is one of the most prominent and influential contemporary poets of South Korea. She received her Ph.D. in Korean literature from Konkuk University. Kim made her literary debut in 1979 with the publication of "Dambaereul piuneun siin" (담배를 피우는 시인 Poet Smoking a Cigarette) and four other poems in Literature and Intelligence. She has published 14 poetry collections including Seulpeumchiyak geoulgeurim (슬픔치약 거울그림 Sorrowtoothpaste Mirrorcream), Pieora dwaeji (피어라 돼지 I’m OK, I’m Pig!), Bulssanghan saranggigye (불쌍한 사랑기계 Poor Love Machine), Jugeumui jaseojeon (죽음의 자서전 Autobiography of Death), and Han janui bulgeun geoul (한 잔의 붉은 거울 A Drink of Red Mirror). She was the first woman poet to receive the prestigious Kim Su-Young and Midang awards, and her works have been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish. Kim lives in Seoul and teaches creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. Kim, along with her long-time translator, Don Mee Choi, received the 2019 International Griffin Poetry Prize, Canada’s most prestigious poetry award, for Autobiography of Death.
Reference
[1] Williams, Ruth. “Kim Hyesoon: The Female Grotesque.” Guernica, 1 Jan. 2012, www.guernicamag.com/williams_kim_1_1_12/
[2] L.S., Lotte. ““I Refuse to Review”: Literary Criticism and Kim Hyesoon’s Autobiography of Death.” The Ploughshares Blog, 19 Dec. 2018, https://blog.pshares.org/i-refuse-to-review-literary-criticism-and-kim-hyesoons-autobiography-of-death/
