“She had never once imagined there could be a world where, even without feeling any particular threat to her survival, she could not let her guard down for a single moment. Freedom, freedom—that alone would be more than enough, but was this not a world of abundance as well? And yet, something was strange. In a world where the basics of food, clothing, and shelter could be met with only modest labor, where one could forget the fear of war and violence even as armed agents from North Korea and all manner of criminals ran rampant—why this feeling of unease, anxiety, and suffocation?” (《함께 있어도 외로움에 떠는 당신들》, 사람풍경,2012) / Hamkke isseodo oeroume tteoneun dangsindeul (You Who Tremble with Loneliness Even When Together), Saram Punggyeong, 2012

Park Duk Kyu is a Korean writer who has worked steadily across a range of literary fields, including poetry, fiction, and criticism, since his debut in 1980.

1. Life

Park Duk Kyu was born in 1958. He graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in Korean Language and Literature and later received his doctorate from the same institution. He began his literary career as a poet in 1980 with the publication of his poems in the inaugural issue of Siundong (Poetry Movement 시운동). He published his first literary criticism in the Joongang Ilbo in 1982, and his first fiction in the quarterly journal Sangsang (상상 Imagination) in 1994. Following the publication of his first poetry collection Areumdaun sanyang in 1984, he has worked across a wide range of literary fields. In addition to poetry and fiction, he has authored works spanning historical nonfiction, musical and animation scripts, and instructional texts on creative writing. He served as a professor of creative writing at Dankook University.

2. Writing

Park Duk Kyu made his debut as a founding member of “Siundong”(literally, Poetry Movement), a poetry coterie magazine that defined the 1980s, and was active as a poet. His first poetry collection Areumdaun sanyang(아름다운 사냥 The Beautiful Hunt, 1984) traces his journey toward a humanist poetic vision, revealing the anguish and suffering he experienced along the way. The poems in this collection carry a desire to secure a personal space for the individual, doubly oppressed by the rigidity and closedness of society. His second collection Golmogeulnaneun nabi (골목을 나는 나비 A Butterfly Flying Through the Alley, 2014) brings together 62 poems previously published during his career as both a poet and a critic, organized into five sections. In this work, he imposes the dynamic image of a “butterfly” onto the spatial imagery of the “alleyway,”a place that represents childhood experience. The collection ranges across a diverse world, from extreme imagery to warmly rendered portraits of contemporary life and its customs.

Park is also a novelist, having published his first short story collection titled Narara geobugi! (날아라거북이! Fly, Tortoise!) in 1996. In this work, he places a publishing company president, a sales manager, a novelist, and a journalist at the center of a series of linked stories to dissect the mechanisms of cultural production groaning under the commodity fetishism of capitalist society. Park has described himself as “the Korean novelist who has written the most about North Korean defectors.” Defectors also appear in Goyangi salligi (고양이 살리기 Saving the Cat, 2004), which examines the social ills produced by the rapid growth of Korea’s capitalism from multiple angles, through characters such as cats, cannibals, a wolf, and a boy, and North Korean defectors to probe the contradictions inherent in this system. Hamkkeisseodo oeroume tteoneum dangsindeul (함께 있어도 외로움에 떠는 당신들 You Who Tremble with Loneliness Even When Together) is a collection of works dealing with defection, portraying the inner lives of North Korean defectors who have safely escaped North Korea but struggle to settle in South Korea. The work offers a multifaceted exploration of defection and the broader issue of reunification. Park has also written historical fiction Samyeong Daesa Ilbon tamjeonggi (사명대사 일본탐정기 Buddhist Monk Samyeong’s Secret Inspection of Japan), which offers a multidimensional portrait of the Buddhist monk-general Samyeong, as well as On gajogi hamkkeingneun Jungguk yeoksa iyagi (온 가족이 함께 읽는 중국역사 이야기 Chinese History Stories for the Whole Family), addressing significant historical events and figures.

Park’s critical writing is inseparable from any account of his literary world. In his critical essay collection Munhakgwa tamsaegui jeongsin (문학과 탐색의 정신 Literature and the Spirit of Inquiry), he persistently explores the encounter with reality revealed in literary works, the gap between the reality within a work and that experienced by writers, readers, and critics, as well as the question of how to live with both literary and actual realities. In Munhak gonggangwa geullokeolijeom(문학공간과 글로컬리즘 Literary Space and Glocalism), he analyzes works that capture cultural transformations during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Korean capitalism attained a global standing. Through such criticism, he has identified the changes and crises within Korean literature. In particular, he has addressed issues such as the globalization of Korean literature and the state of literary institutions, proposing “glocalism” as an alternative to both the closed nature of localism and the uniformity of globalism. Additionally, through Migugui supil pokpung (미국의 수필폭풍 The Essay Storm of America), he introduced Korean-American essayists to the Korean literary scene, and has continued to support overseas Korean writers by organizing international literary lectures.

Reference

Poetry

《아름다운사냥》, 문학과지성사, 1984 / Areumdaunsanyang (The Beautiful Hunt), Moonji, 1984

《꿈꾸는보초 : 박덕규 만화시집》, 한겨레, 1988 / Kkumkkuneun bocho: Park Duk Kyu manhwa sijip (The Dreaming Sentinel: Park Duk Kyu’s Comics Poetry Collection), Hankyoreh, 1988

《골목을나는 나비》, 서정시학, 2014 / Golmogeulnaneun nabi (A Butterfly Flying Through the Alley), Lyric Poetry &Poetics, 2014

《날 두고가라》, 곰곰나루, 2019 / Nal dugo gara(Leave Me Behind), Gomgom Naru, 2019

(co-authored) 《꿈꾸는 시인 : 시운동동인시집》, 월인제, 1981 / Kkumkkuneun siin: Siundong dongin sijip (The Dreaming Poet: Siundong Coterie Anthology), Worinje, 1981

(co-authored) 《그러나 나는 살아가리라》(청하, 1982) / Geureona naneun saragarira (But I Shall Live On), Cheongha, 1982

(co-authored) 《시운동. 9》(한국문연, 1987) / Siundong9 (Siundong, No. 9), Hanguk Munyeon, 1987

(co-authored) 《조롱받는 시인》(청하, 1987) / Jorongbadneun siin (The Mocked Poet), Cheongha, 1987

(co-authored) 《땅밑을 흐르는 큰 강물 : 88 신춘문예 당선시인 신작시집》(청맥, 1988) / Ttangmiteul heureuneun keun gangmul: 88 sinchun munyedangseon siin sinjaksi jip(The Great River Running Underground: New Poetry by Winners of the 1988 New Writer’s Contests), Cheongmaek, 1988

(co-authored) 《너의 가슴에 별 하나 빠뜨렸네 : 김용희·박덕규의 동시 여행》(청동거울, 2000) / Neoui gaseume byeol hana ppateureyeonne: Kim Yong-huiand Park Duk Kyu-ui dongsi yeohaeng (I Dropped a Star into Your Heart: Kim Yong-hui andPark Duk Kyu’s Journey into Children’s Poetry), Cheongdong Geoul, 2000

(co-authored) 《아가똥 별똥 : 김용희·박덕규의 동시 여행》(청동거울, 2001) / Agattong byeolttong: Kim Yong-hui and Park Duk Kyu-uidongsi yeohaeng (BabyPoop, Star Poop: Kim Yong-hui and Park Duk Kyu’s Journey into Children’s Poetry), Cheongdong Geoul, 2001

(co-authored) 《사랑을 머금은 자 이 봄, 목마르겠다》(랜덤하우스중앙, 2006) / Sarangeul meogeumeun ja i bom, mongmareugetda (Those Who Hold Love Must Be Parched This Spring), Random House JoongAng, 2006

(co-authored) 《한국 대표시집 50권》(문학세계사, 2013) / Hanguk daepyosijip 50 gwon (50 Representative Korean Poetry Collections), Munhak Segyesa, 2013

(co-authored) 《우리 땅 나의 노래 : 한국시인협회 신작시 122편》(개미, 2024) / Uri ttang na-ui norae: Hanguk siin hyeophoe sinjak si 122 pyeon (Our Land, My Song: 122 New Poems from the Korean Poets Association), Gaemi, 2024

Short story collections

《날아라 거북이!》, 민음사,1996 / Narara geobugi! (Fly, Tortoise!), Minumsa, 1996

《함께있어도 외로운 사람들》, 윤시스템, 2002 / Hamkkeisseodo oeroun saramdeul (People Who Are Lonely Even When Together), YunSystem, 2002

《포구에서온 편지》, 문이당, 2000 / Pogueseo onpyeonji (A Letter from the Harbor), Munidang, 2000

《고양이 살리기》, 청동거울, 2004 / Goyangi salligi(Saving the Cat), Cheongdong Geoul, 2004

《함께있어도 외로움에 떠는 당신들》, 사람풍경, 2012 / Hamkkeisseodo oeroume tteoneun dangsindeul (You Who Tremble with Loneliness Even When Together), Saram Punggyeong, 2012

(co-authored) 《해질녘에는 사랑의 그림자가 길더라》, 청맥, 1990 / Haejilnyeogeneun saranguigeurimjaga gildora (At Dusk, Love’s Shadow Grows Long), Cheongmaek, 1990

(co-authored) 《추억의 노래》, 대림기획, 1991 / Chueogui norae (Song of Nostalgia), Daerim Gihoek, 1991

(co-authored) 《설악산은 어디로 가는가》, 윤컴, 1998 / Seoraksaneun eodiro ganeunga(Where Does Seoraksan Go?), Yooncom, 1998

(co-authored) 《참된 만남 : 한국의 엽편소설 50선》, 청동거울, 2000 / Chamttoen mannam: Hangugui yeopyeon soseol 50 seon(True Encounters: 50 Selected Korean Flash Fictions), Cheongdong Geoul, 2000

(co-authored) 《우리는 누구이며 어디서 와서 어디로 가는가 : 제7회「21세기문학상」수상작품집》, 이수, 2000 / Urineunnuguimyeo eodiseo waseo eodiro ganeunga: Je 7-hoe「21 segi munhaksang」susang jakpumjip (Who Are We, Where Do We Come From, and Where Are We Headed?: The 7th 21st Century Literary Award Anthology), Isu, 2000

(co-authored) 《첫사랑, 가슴속에 남은 빛》, 동인, 2000 / Cheotsarang, gaseungsoge nameun bit (First Love, the Light That Remains in the Heart), Dongin, 2000

(co-authored) 《100년 동안의 한국대표 단편소설》, 지식마당, 2005 / 100-nyeondonganui Hanguk daepyo danpyeon soseol (Representative Korean Short Fiction in 100 Years), Jisik Madang, 2005

(co-authored) 《공포 : 여섯 명의 작가가 바라본 한국인의 여섯 가지 공포》, 이룸, 2005 / Gongpo: Yeoseot myeongui jakgaga barаbon Hanguginuiyeoseot gaji gongpo (Fear: Six Fears of Koreans as Seen by Six Writers), Irum, 2005

(co-authored) 《어둠의 혼 외》, 푸른사상사, 2007 / Eodumui hon oe (Soul of Darkness and Other Works), Prun Sasangsa, 2007

(co-authored) 《오발탄 외》, 푸른사상사, 2013 / Obaltan oe (A Stray Bullet and Other Works), Prun Sasangsa, 2013

(co-authored) 《금덩이 이야기 : 북한 인권을 말하는 남북한 작가의 공동 소설집 : 두 번째 권》, 예옥, 2017 / Geumdeongi iyagi: Bukhaningwoneul malhaneun NamBukhan jakgaui gongdong soseoljip: Du beonjjae gwon(The Story of the Gold Nugget: A Joint Fiction Anthology by South and North Korean Writers Speaking on North Korean Human Rights, Vol. 2), Yeok, 2017

Novels

《옥수수탐정 : 꿈은 이루어진다》, 명예의전당, 2003 / Oksusu tamjeong: Kkumeun irueojinda (Corn Detective:Dreams Come True), Myeongyeui Jeondang, 2003

《사명대사일본탐정기》, 랜덤하우스코리아, 2010 / SamyeongDaesa Ilbon tamjeonggi (Buddhist Monk Samyeong’s Secret Inspection of Japan), Random House Korea, 2010

《토끼전 2020》, 푸른사상, 2018 /Tokkijeon 2020 (The Tale of the Rabbit, 2020), Prun Sasang, 2018

《라니》, 리젬, 2012 / Rani (Rani), Rijem, 2012

(co-authored) 《신라열전 : 김동리 역사소설》(청동거울,2001) / Silla yeoljeon: Kim Dongni yeoksa soseol (Lives of Silla: KimDongni’s Historical Fiction), Cheongdong Geoul, 2001

Reviews (Criticism)

《시의세상 그늘 속까지》, 한겨레, 1988 / Siui sesanggeuneul sokkaji (Into the Shadow of the World of Poetry), Hankyoreh, 1988

《문학과탐색의 정신》, 문학과지성사, 1992 / Munhakgwatamsaegui jeongsin (Literature and the Spirit of Inquiry), Moonji, 1992

《문학이들려주는 49가지 속삭임》, 한뜻출판사, 1997 / Munhagi deullyeojuneun 49 gaji soksagim (49 Whispers of Literature), Hantteus Publishing, 1997

《시인들이살았던 집》, 현대문학, 1997 / Siindeuri saratteonjip (The Houses Where Poets Lived), Hyundae Munhak, 1997

《함께있어도 외로운 사람들》, 웅진출판, 1998 / Hamkkeisseodo oeroun saramdeul (People Who Are Lonely Even When Together), Woongjin Publishing, 1998

《사랑을노래하라》, 문이당, 1999 / Sarangeulnoraehara (Sing of Love), Munidang, 1999

《시인열전》, 청동거울, 2001 / Siin yeoljeon (Biographies of Poets), Cheongdong Geoul, 2001

《‘밥과 사랑’의 창작 실제》, 청동거울, 2004 / “Bapgwa sarang”ui changjak silje (The Practice of Writing “Rice and Love”), Cheongdong Geoul, 2004

《문학공간과 글로컬리즘》, 서정시학, 2011 / Munhakgonggangwa geullokeolijeom (Literary Space and Glocalism), Lyric Poetry& Poetics, 2011

《17살에 만나야 할 우리 얼잡이 17》, 개미, 2017 / 17 sare mannaya hal urieoljabi 17 (17 Korean Cultural Essences to Encounter at Age 17), Gaemi, 2017

(co-authored) 《한국현대소설의 숨결》, 푸른사상사, 2007 / Hanguk hyeondae soseoruisumgyeol (The Breath of Contemporary Korean Fiction), Prun Sasangsa, 2007

(co-authored) 《문학과 역사의 경계에 서다 : 낭만적 휴머니스트, 이병주의 삶과 문학》, 바이북스, 2010 / Munhakgwa yeoksauigyeonggyee seoda: Nangmanjeok hyumeoniseuteu, Lee Byeng-Ju-ui samgwa munhak(Standing at the Border of Literature and History: The Life and Literature of the Romantic Humanist Lee Byeng-Ju), By Books, 2010

(co-authored) 《탈북 디아스포라》, 푸른사상사, 2012 / Talbuk diaspora(North Korean Defector Diaspora), Preun Sasangsa, 2012

(co-authored) 《김춘수의 무의미시》, 푸른사상사, 2012 / Kim Chunsu-ui muuimi si(Kim Chunsu’s Nonsense Poetry), Prun Sasangsa, 2012

(co-authored) 《김수영의 온몸시학》, 푸른사상사, 2013 / Kim Su-Youngui onmomsihak (Kim Su-Young’s Whole-Body Poetics), Pureun Sasangsa, 2013

(co-authored) 《스타일의 탄생 : 북한문학예술의 형성과정》, 경진출판, 2014 / Seutairui tansaeng: Bukhan munhak yesuruihyeongseonggwajeong (The Birth of Style: The Formation of North Korean Literature and Art), Gyeongjin Publishing, 2014

(co-authored) 《이데올로기의 꽃 : 북한문예와 북한체제》, 경진,2014 / Ideollogiui kkot: Bukhan munyewa Bukhan cheje (Flower of Ideology: North Korean Literature and the North Korean System), Gyeongjin, 2014

(co-authored) 《백기만과 씨뿌린 사람들 : 근현대 대구의 문학 예술 풍경》, 마음시회, 2021 / Baek Giman gwa ssippurin saramdeul: Geunhyeondae Daeguuimunhak yesul punggyeong (Baek Giman and the Seed Sowers: The Literary and Artistic Landscape of Modern Daegu), Maum Sihoe, 2021

(co-authored) 《황순원 연구》, 역락, 2021 / Hwang Sun-Won yeongu(Studies on Hwang Sunwon), Youkrack, 2021

(co-authored) 《연결하는 미디어, 융합하는 예술들》, 푸른사상사,2023 / Yeongyeolhaneun midieo, yunghaphaneun yesudeul (Connecting Media, Converging Arts), Prun Sasangsa, 2023

Play

《안녕, 아무르》(청동거울, 2010) /Annyeong, Amour (Goodbye, Love), Cheongdong Geoul, 2010

Essays

《시인은 지구에서 어떻게 숨 쉬는가 : 박덕규 문학인터뷰》(개미, 2021) / Siineun jigueseo eotteoke sum swineunga: Park Duk Kyu munhakinteobyoo (How Does a Poet Breathe on Earth: Literary Interviews with Park Duk Kyu), Gaemi, 2021

(co-authored) 《처음처럼 : 그 설레임으로 영원히》(동인,1999) / Cheoeumcheoreom: Geu seolleimeuro yeongwonhi (Like the First Time: Forever with That Excitement), Dongin, 1999

(co-authored) 《미국의 수필폭풍》(청동거울, 2017) / Migugui supil pokpung(The Essay Storm of America), Cheongdong Geoul, 2017

Children’s books

《야호, 바다다!》, 국민서관, 1998 / Yaho, badada! (Yahoo, It’s the Sea!), Kookmin Books,1998

《강을 만난 토끼와 거북이 외 1편 : 「토끼와 거북이」의 반전동화》, 글뿌리, 2007 / Gangeul mannan tokkiwageobugi oe 1 pyeon: 「Tokkiwa geobugi」ui banjeon donghwa (The Hare and the Tortoise Who Came to a River and One Other Story: A Twist on “The Tortoise and the Hare”), Glbburi, 2007

《부여소년과 아기 예수》, 가문비, 2020 / Buyeosonyeongwa agi Yesu (The Boy from Buyeo and Baby Jesus), Gamoonbee, 2020

Others

《신숙주평전》, 둥지, 1995 / Shin Sukchupyeongjeon (A Critical Biography of Shin Sukchu), Dungji, 1995

《온 가족이함께 읽는 중국역사이야기》, 일송북, 2008 / Ongajogi hamkke ingneun Jungguk yeoksa iyagi (Chinese History Stories for the Whole Family), Ilsong Book, 2008

《독작술》, 푸른사상, 2013 / Dokjaksul (The Art of Drinking Alone), Prun Sasang, 2013

(co-authored) 《나 자신을 뒤집어라》, 청어람, 2004 / Na jasineul duijibeora(Turn Yourself Inside Out), Chungeoram, 2004

(co-authored) 《한국 소설의 추리 기법》, 푸른사상, 2014 / Hanguk soseorui churigibeop (Detective Techniques in Korean Fiction), Prun Sasang, 2014

(co-authored) 《낯설고 정겨운 그림자놀이 : 여섯 작가의 단편소설 창작교실》, 청동거울, 2018 / Natseolgo jeonggyeoun geurimjanori: Yeoseot jakgauidanpyeon soseol changjak gyosil (Strange and Familiar Shadow Play: A Short Fiction Writing Workshop with Six Authors), Cheongdong Geoul, 2018

(co-authored) 《읽고 쓰는 아동문학 : 대표작과 등단작으로 함께 배우는 아동문학창작법》, 개미, 2018 / Ikgo sseuneun adong munhak: Daepyojakgwa deungdanjageurohamkke baeuneun adong munhak changjakbeop (Reading and Writing Children’s Literature: Learning Children’s Literature Writing Through Representative and Debut Works), Gaemi, 2018