This Side of Time: Poems by Ko Un
AUTHOR
Ko Un
TRANSLATORS
Claire You and Richard Silberg
A luminous collection of short poems by Ko Un, one of Korea's most respected poets and a multiple Nobel Prize nominee. Drawing on his remarkable life—including imprisonment and a decade as a Zen monk— (Thereadingwarehouse) Ko Un's spare, direct lyrics blend Buddhist philosophy with keen observations of nature and human consciousness. Translated by Claire You and Richard Silberg, this collection showcases a major voice in world literature, capturing moments of profound wisdom and spiritual depth with intricate wit and meaning.
Reviews
"Ko Un's poems evoke the open creativity and fluidity of nature, and funny turns and twists of mind. Mind is sometimes registered in Buddhist termsBuddhist practice being part of Ko Un's background. Ko Un writes spare, short-line lyrics direct to the point, but often intricate in both wit and meaning. Ko Un has now traveled worldwide and is not only a major spokesman for all Korean culture, but a voice for Planet Earth Watershed as well."
—Gary Snyder
Richard Silberg is a poet, critic, translator, and Associate Editor of Poetry Flash. His poetry book, Deconstruction of the Blues, received the 2006 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award and was nominated for the Northern California Book Award.
Clare You is a translator and author known for works such as The Three Way Tavern: Selected Poems. She specializes in translating Korean literature, bringing Korean poetry to English-speaking audiences.
Ko Un is one of the most respected poets in Korea and has been nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.