Kim Chi-ha
Kim Chi-ha | |
---|---|
Born | Kim Yeongil 4 February 1941 Mokpo, Zenranan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
Died | 8 May 2022[1] Wonju | (aged 81)
Occupation | Writer |
Language | Korean |
Period | 1963–2022 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김지하 |
Hanja | 金芝河 |
Revised Romanization | Gim Ji-ha |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chiha |
Kim Jiha or Kim Chi-ha (Korean: 김지하; 4 February 1941 – 8 May 2022) was a South Korean poet and playwright.[2]
Biography
Kim Jiha was born Kim Yeongil on 4 February 1941 in
Kim was a dissident under the
After accusing the regime of extracting false confessions with the use of torture, he was tried and sentenced to death in 1974, which was commuted to a life sentence and eventual release following a public outcry. When he further accused the government of using torture to get confessions in the 1974
Work
From his first collection, The Yellow Earth, to his collection of lyrical poetry, Looking up at a Starry Field, Kim has displayed a broad literary range including both narrative and lyrical poems, ballads, taeseol, drama, and prose. His works also cover the full gamut of religious thought and philosophy, from the Donghak, to the Catholic, Jeungsan, Avatamska, Zen, and Maitraya tradition.[2]
The majority of Kim’s poems also present satirical social critiques. In The Yellow Earth and With a Burning Thirst, the poet offers a scathing invective of society through the medium of lyric poetry. In ballads such as "Five Bandits" (Ojeok) and "Groundless Rumors", he employs a pansori rhythm and occasionally obscure classical Chinese characters to satirize the misdeeds and corruption of those in power. The pansori rhythm is present again in A Rain Cloud in these Days of Drought, a collection of narrative poems that examine the life and death of Choi Jeu. Love Thy Neighbor, when compared to Kim's earlier works, focuses more directly on the notion of romantic love, thus marking a turning point in the poet’s thematic focus. Looking up at a Starry Field and The Agony of the Center reflect this shifting thematic interest in their lyrical content and intent in relating the individual’s interior monologue. These works also reveal a strong undercurrent of Romanticism, in focusing more deliberately on the poet’s desire to connect with nature than on his discontent with society.[2]
In the 1980s Kim's poetry and thought underwent yet another transfiguration. Distancing himself from the struggle of the labor movement then the dominant theme of the era, the poet was able to develop a fresh perspective on life.[2]
In his play The Gold-Crowned Jesus
Awards and honors
- 1975 Lotus Prize for Literature[11]
- 1981 'Grand Poet Prize' at the International Poets' Conference.[2]
Works in translation
- "Aufgehen der Knospe" (German Language)
- Heart's Agony: Selected Poems of Chiha Kim (1998)
- Cry of the People and Other Poems (1974)
- The Middle Hour: Selected Poems (1980)
- The Gold-Crowned Jesus and Other Writings (1978)
- Five Thieves (Thai translation by Jiranant Phitpreecha in 1989)
Works
- The Yellow Earth, With a Burning Thirst, South (Nam)
- Love Thy Neighbor 1-2 (Aerin 1-2)
- Black Mountain, White Room (Geomeun san hayan bang)
- A Rain Cloud in These Days of Drought (I gamun nare bigureum)
- My Mother (Naui eomeoni)
- Looking up at a Starry Field (Byeolbateul ureoreumyeo)
- The Agony of the Center (Jungsimui goeroum)
- Rice (Bap)
- Boat Songs of the South Land (Namnyeokttang baennorae)
- Livelihood (Sallim)
References
- ^ "Poet and democracy activist Kim Ji-ha dies at 81". 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f LTI Korea Author Database: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hwang, Kyung Moon A History of Korea, London: Macmillan, 2010 page 240
- ^ Hwang, Kyung Moon A History of Korea, London: Macmillan, 2010 page 240.
- ^ "Kim Chi-Ha / 김지하 ( Poet and Playwright )". www.korea-fans.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Hwang, Kyung Moon A History of Korea, London: Macmillan, 2010 pages 236-237.
- ^ a b c Hwang, Kyung Moon A History of Korea, London: Macmillan, 2010 page 241.
- ^ William Shaw, ed. Human Rights in Korea: Historical and Policy Perspectives p. 184-5.
- ^ a b "Memories of Dictatorship from Not Long Ago". koreaexpose.com.
- ^ Kim, Chi-ha, (1978). The Gold-Crowned Jesus and Other Writings
- ISBN 978-0-8160-6457-1. Retrieved 25 November 2011.