“A single speck of dust like me, gladly emptying itself for a single speck of dust like you”

Kim Sun-woo’s latest poetry compilation imagines a community for the little things, its verses teeming with love’s warmth that heals an ailing world

In celebrating her 25th anniversary as both a revered poet and insightful novelist, Kim Sun-woo, adorned with prestigious awards such as the Modern Literature Award and the Cheonsangbyeong Poetry Award, unveils her sixth collection of poems, My Warm Ghosts. This awaited release comes five years after her receipt of the 5th Balgyeon (Discovery) Literature Award for Nocturne. With meticulous insight, her new collection paints a poetic landscape described as reflecting “the profound and unhurried gaze of someone has witnessed the world’s transformations over time” (Song Jong-won, literary critic). The poems in My Warm Ghosts exude a diverse spectrum of sensations and profound poetic insights, including sensitive observations on life, non-hesitant commentary on social realities, candid reflections on environmental destruction, fervent critiques of capitalism, and contemplations on love and solidarity. Particularly noteworthy are the poems infused with a deep longing for transformation amidst the challenges of the pandemic era, resonating deeply and uncovering unexpected depths within the familiar landscapes of life. The 56 poems in this collection compel readers to earnestly reflect on the “here and now.”

Kim Sun-woo’s poetry emanates warmth. Even amidst sadness, the comforting embrace of love that ignites hope permeates her verses. The poet yearns for what she calls the “resilience of the soul,” as expressed in “A Prayer of an Atheist,” advocating for the capacity to love all beings in the world. In the face of life’s harsh realities, she sheds tears and pens her verses for their sake. Without hesitation, the poet embraces a joyful life of horizontal solidarity, advancing towards a life of coexistence with all living beings. The poems, serving as a venue where “we are all poets in this world” (from “Conversations with Poets”), and where one wishes to transition to a new world, the poet becomes “a person who stays even after everyone has left/lingering beside sorrowful cries/and sheds tears until the end (from “Back in the Square”).

In Kim’s new poetry collection, deeply imbued with an earnest desire to restore the dignity of life and revive the ecosystem, the poet unveils a longing for change in the current world, which has reached a dead end marked by “extinction.” The series of poems titled “Poems Written on Masks” vividly depicts the dire state of Earth, suffering from pandemics and climate crises, offering sharp insights into the global crisis of the pandemic era. The poet warns unless the endless pursuit of capital ceases now, a “more severe era of pandemics” will “soon return” (from “Poems Written on Masks 7”). The poet’s prophecy, “if this continues, within a century, humanity will end,” and “this way leads to extinction” (from “If an Earth Residents’ Assembly is Created”), echoes with a chill. Reflecting humbly on the reality of “us, who are becoming endangered species while driving other beings to extinction” (from “Poems Written on Masks 12”), the poet contemplates “what we should do more, or less, as we live” (from “Ledger Written with Love”), aiming to heal an ailing world caused by humanity’s greed tainted by capital.

Since debuting in 1996 with the journal Creation and Criticism, marking a quarter-century on the poetic journey, the poet has engaged with the pains of the times, including candlelight vigils, the Yongsan tragedy, the Hope Bus, Gangjeong Village, and the Sewol Ferry disaster, embodying a literary figure practicing the “revolution of everyday life.” The poet has veraciously captured and delivered to the heart, the “small, delicate, and abrupt beauties” that blossom even amidst “wretched world created by humans,” and the “earnest hearts in solidarity with pain (in the poet’s words).” Having mentioned “every poem is a requiem and a love song,” in her previous work, the poet now speaks of a poet’s calling—“a precious duty that nurtures a space where poetry becomes tears, joy, solace, and beauty.” The poet’s “infinite revolution,” facing the stark reality of this world, where pain, despair, and anger continue to accumulate, and “continuing to write as long as I’m alive” (from “Quasi Una Fantasia”), will persist “here and now, in this manner.”

Support from Changbi Publishers, Inc.