Available for the first time in English, Azaleas is a captivating collection of poems by a master of the early Korean modernist style. Published in 1925, Azaleas is the only collection Kim Sowol (1902-1934) produced during his brief life, yet he remains one of Korea's most beloved and well-known poets. His work is a delightful and sophisticated blend of the images, tonalities, and rhythms of traditional Korean folk songs with surprisingly modern forms and themes. Sowol is also known for his unique and sometimes unsettling perspective, expressed through loneliness, longing, and a creative use of dream imagery-a reflection of Sowol's engagement with French Symbolist poetry. Azaleas recounts the journey of a young Korean as he travels from the northern P'yongyang area near to the cosmopolitan capital of Seoul. Told through an array of voices, the poems describe the young man's actions as he leaves home, his experiences as a student and writer in Seoul, and his return north. Although considered a landmark of Korean literature, Azaleas speaks to readers from all cultures. An essay by Sowol's mentor, the poet Kim Ok, concludes the collection and provides vital insight into Sowol's work and life. This elegant translation by David R. McCann, an expert on modern Korean poetry, maintains the immediacy and richness of Sowol's work and shares with English-language readers the quiet beauty of a poet who continues to cast a powerful spell on generations of Korean readers.

David R. McCann's translation is sensitive and well rendered. This work is in a class above and unto its own. -- Francisca Cho, Georgetown University, and translator of Everything Yearned For: Manhae's Poetry of Love and Longing

About the Author
David R. McCann is Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature at Harvard University. He has translated the work of many Korean poets--including Kim Chi Ha, So Chongju, Ko Un, and Kim Namjo-and is the author or editor of many books, including The Columbia Anthology of Modern Korean Poetry and The Way I Wait for You, a collection of his own poems.

Reviews
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Korea and Poetry. Manoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing "McCann's translation gives more details... than have ever been available in English." --Korean Quarterly -- Anne Holzman Korean Quarterly



Book Information
ISBN 9780231139724
Author Kim Sowol
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press