Lee Garim (1943-2015) was a South Korean poet and professor.
1. Life
Lee Garim was born Lee Kyejin in Yolha, Manchuria. The family returned to Korea after the liberation, and he grew up in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. He studied French literature at Sungkyunkwan University, and earned his Ph.D. in French literature from Rouen University, France.
He lectured at Soong Jun University, Sungshin Women’s University, Rouen University, and Inha University, and worked as a producer at MBC Daejeon. Lee also served as the Vice-President of the French Language and Literature Association of Korea.
According to the Lee, his first dream was to become an artist, but receiving little encouragement, he quietly put that dream away, like the narrator of Saint-Exupery's Little Prince who was admonished by grown-ups "telling me to put my drawings of boa constrictors away...and told me to learn geography, history, math, and grammar instead."[1]
As a student at Jeonju High School, influenced by his teachers, he became a voracious reader of literature. In 1961, shortly before graduating, he submitted a poem called "Cheollobugeun" (철로부근 By the Tracks) to a national writing contest for high school students held by Jeonbuk National University's student paper, which won a prize. Encouraged, he continued to write poetry, and his poem "Dorui eoneo" (돌의 언어 The Language of Stones) received honorable mention at the 1964 Kyunghyang Shinmun New Writer's Contest. He made his official literary debut in 1966, winning the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer's Contest with the poem "Binghagi—jang battiseuteu keullamangseuege" (빙하기―장 바띠스트 클라망스에게 Ice Age—for Jean-Baptiste Clamence).
2. Writing
Lee Garim’s poetry is characterized by exquisite use of language and careful attention to the creation of poetic imagery. His interest in French philosopher Gaston Bachelard stems from his search for the materiality of imagination. While he maintains a nostalgic attitude towards harmonious life in his poetry, he also maximizes linguistic creativity through the use of powerfully contrasting images.
Among his most well-known poems are "Gyeoul panhwajip" (겨울 판화집 A Book of Winter Lithographs), "Peuruseuteu-ui pyeonji" (프루스트의 편지 Proust’s Letters), "Dasaek-ui nundongja" (다색의 눈동자 Iris of Many Colors), Daseotsiwa ilgopsi sai (다섯시에서 일곱시 사이 Between Five and Seven O’Clock), "Yagyeongkkun" (야경꾼 Night Watchers), "Orangkaekkot" (오랑캐꽃 A Violet), "Pul" (풀 Grass), and "Paengi" (팽이 A Top).
Lee Garim's poetry collections include Binghagi (빙하기 Ice Age), Yurichangae imareul daego (유리창에 이마를 대고 With My Forehead Against the Window) and Seulpeun bando (슬픈 반도 Sad Peninsula). Lee Garim has also translated works by Gaston Bachelard including La Flamme d'une chandelle (The Flame of a Candle) and L'Eau et les Rêves (Water and Dreams). He is the recipient of the 1993 Chong Chi-Yong Literature Prize.
