Seo Jeong-ju

Seo Jeong-ju (May 18, 1915 – December 24, 2000) was a Korean poet and university professor who wrote under the pen name Midang (lit. "not yet fully grown").^[1] He is widely considered the best poet in twentieth-century Korean literature. He was nominated five times for Nobel Prize in literature.^[2]

Life

Seo Jeong-ju was born in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province,^[3] and received his primary education in the village Seodang until 1924. He had heard many traditional stories and stories of ancient times from his grandmother as he grew up. The stories from his grandmother, his primary education and his experiences of youth influenced his literary style. He went to Jung-Ang Buddhism College, but he dropped out of school in 1936 after being involved in a demonstration.^[4] In 1936, his poem, Byuk (Wall), was published in the Dong-Ah Ilbo newspaper. He became a pro-Japanese activist, and wrote various poems about praise for Japanese Imperialism in the late Japanese colonial period.

After the independence of Korea, He worked as a professor of literature at Dongguk University and other universities from 1959 to 1979. Since his wife's death in October 2000, he barely ate or drank anything besides beer. He died on December 24, 2000.

Works

Seo Jeong-ju's early works were modernistic and also surrealistic, influenced mostly by foreign literature. His first collection of poems, Haw-Sa Jip (Flower snake), was published in 1941. The book explores humanity's feelings of guilt and folklore. His poem Jahwasang (Portrait) describes a young poet whose desire to learn was interrupted by the Imperial Japan in 1910. However, Midang wrote Japanophilic literature for the newspaper Mail Ilbo from 1942 to 1944 under the Japanese penname, "Datsusiro Sijuo" (達城靜雄).

His influence on Korean poetry stems in part from the anthology The Early Lyrics 1941-1960. His later poetic style was Oriental and nationalistic, discussing self-reflection and redemption in Buddhism. His works have been translated into a number of languages, including English, French, Spanish, and German. According to translator Brother Anthony, he is the founding father of modern Korean poetry.^[5]

The publication of Village of Poets (Siin burak), a literary coterie journal Seo founded along with Kim Dongri and Ham Hyeongsu, marks the beginning of his literary career. After the Liberation, Seo was actively involved in the formation of Association of Joseon Literary Youth (Joseon cheongnyeon munhakga hyeophoe) and in 1949, he became one of the key founding members of the Association of Korean Writers (Hanguk munin hyeophoe). He was nominated as a lifetime member of the Arts Center (Yesulwon) in 1954. He also gave frequent lectures in poetry at Dongguk University.^[6]

Baudelaire’s influence is unmistakable in Seo Jeongju’s early poetry. Primeval and even demonic in tone, Seo’s first volume of poetry Hwasajip (Hwasajip) explores men’s awareness of original sin and primeval life force against the backdrop of local or indigenous colors. After the liberation, however, the concept of original sin and predestination that marked his early poetry was replaced by the quest for neverending life found in eastern philosophy. Gwichokdo, for example, suggests the poet’s return to eastern way of thought in its embodiment of aboriginal sentiments and classical style. Seo Jeongju Poems (Seo Jeongju siseon), published in 1956, contains such poems as “By the Thawing Han River” (Pullineun hangang ga-aeseo) and “Sangni Gwawon” (Sangni gwawon) that sing of a certain reconciliation between nature and han, a deep-seated sense of grief, as well as the poems “Crane” (Hak) and “A Prayer” (Gido) that shows the poet’s artistic maturity and his capacity for self-perception.^[7]

With Sillacho, Seo reached a new artistic height. The ancient country of Shilla has long been the wellspring of the poet’s artistic inspiration and transcendental vision, a country more akin to an imaginary homeland, where nature and men exist in perfect unity, than a historical entity. With a Shilla tale rooted in Buddhist thoughts as its thematic base, Shillacho revives the concept of karma and the philosophy of zen buddhism. Dongcheon, a collection of poems published in 1969, reveals Seo’s interest in Buddhist symbolism.^[8]

In 1997, his poems were finalized in translation in Spain and France thanks to donation of Daesan Culture Foundation.^[9]

He published 15 books of poetry consisting of around 1,000 poems.

After his death, South Korean Government officially presented him with the Gold order.

Works in Translation

• "Unforgettable Things" (안 잊혀지는 일들)
• Early Lyrics 1941-1960, The Poems by SO Chong-Ju (Midang) (bilingual) Translated and Introduced by Brother Anthony of Taizé, 1998, (Translations in this book are viewable at http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/Sojngju.htm.)
• Poems of a Wanderer by Midang So Chong-Ju, Chongju So, Kevin O'Rourke (Translator), Chong-Ju So, 1995
• The Early Lyrics of So Chong Ju by Midang, Anthony of Taize (Translator), 1993

Works in Korea (partial)

• Complete Literary Works of Seo Jeongju (Seo Jeongju munhakjeonjip) in five volumes was published by Iljisa in 1972
• Complete Poems of Midang (Midang si jeonjip) was published by Mineumsa in 1994

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Korean poetry
• Korean literature
• List of Korean language poets

References

External links

• Facebook Page Image Gallery, Poetry, and Popular Contemporary Mentions
• http://user.chollian.net/~bioman/ilban/guker/guksa/hyun/jakga/seojungju.htm
• http://www.seojungju.com/
• http://dir.naver.com/People/Writer/Seojeongju/