Korean Poetry – UH Press

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, vol. 11 (2018)

Posted on June 12, 2018 by uhpjourn

Lim Ok-sang’s Landscape II, 1976, Ink and oil on rice paper, 64 × 128 cm, featured in this issue of *Azalea*.

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture volume 11 opens with the following note from editor Young-Jun Lee:

The Korean peninsula is now in the midst of a series of remarkable and dramatic changes. People the world over are surprised, curious, and relieved, especially those who feared imminent war on the peninsula. In addition, the first female president of Korea is now in prison, and her predecessor was also arrested and soon will be tried. The current president, who has a very high approval rating, used the Winter Olympics as a stage for international diplomacy and led North Korea to the bargaining table. We do not know if Kim Jong Un will give up nuclear weapons, or if Trump will sign a peace treaty or pledge economic cooperation, but it is no exaggeration to say that these changes are seismic.

With the news that North Korea was developing nuclear weapons and conducting missile tests, and that evacuation drills were taking place in Japan and Hawaii, people with relatives in Korea would call them, worried about their safety. There was also contrasting news. Some foreign media were surprised to hear that nothing appeared to be happening in Seoul, and its inhabitants were going about their daily lives despite the threat of imminent war. In turbulent times, art enables us to grasp these apparent contradictions and complexities. Art can give us insight into the minds of Koreans who are experiencing and responding to events as they happen. This volume of Azalea presents outstanding work that illuminates the Korean spirit under conditions both ordinary and extraordinary.

Writer in Focus: Cheon Myeong-Gwan

Excerpt from Whale
Cheon Myeong-gwan, Jae Won Chung

Twenty
Cheon Myeong-gwan, Jamie Chang

Excerpt from My Uncle Bruce Lee
Cheon Myeong-gwan, Susanna Lim

Pink
Cheon Myeong-gwan, Jamie Chang

A Conversation with Cheon Myeong-gwan
Jamie Chang

Fiction

A Journal from the Alpha-Omega Kosiwon
Park Min-gyu, Kyung Hyun Kim, Sue Heun Kim

Roadkill
Yun Ko Eun, Lizzie Buehler

Sister Thief
Bae Suah, Janet Hong

Forever a Narrator
Kim Ae-ran, Eungee Sung

About the Journal

Azalea promotes Korean literature among English-language readers. Azalea introduces to the world new writers as well as promising translators, providing the academic community of Korean studies with well-translated texts for college courses. Writers from around the world also share their experience of Korean literature or culture with wider audiences.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions for both individuals and institutions are available here.

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, vol. 10 (2017)

Posted on May 15, 2017June 14, 2017 by pwilson6

az image 10

Candle Light Protest, 12 November 2016, Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. Images From Chung Taek Yong in this issue of Azalea.

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture volume 10 features the following writings, poetry, and artwork:

I am bringing ten years’ association with AZALEA journal to an end with this essay, this issue. I am so very grateful to Young-Jun Lee, whose creation the journal was, is, and will always be, and also
to the translators, authors, and literary scholars in Korea, North
America, and around the globe who have contributed their work
to this effort. For Harvard University’s Korea Institute, which has
provided staff, office space, storage closets and shelves, and above all
a spirit of dedication to the field, my gratitude is immense. Finally,
my thanks to the International Communications Foundation of
Seoul, which has provided both financial support over the years and
encouragement for the effort here and in meetings in Korea on the
subject and the project.