Kim Gu-yong (; February 5, 1922 – December 28, 2001), pen name Kim Kku, was a poet "김구용" biographical PDF available at LTI Korea Library or online
/ref> and calligrapher living in what is now South Korea. His poetry showed the spirit of

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

but also reflected

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. He was a graduate of Seongkyungwan University (1955) and later a professor at the same school.

Biography

Kim Gu-yong was born Kim Yeongtak on February 5, 1922, in

Sangju Sangju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gye ...

Keishōhoku Province , alternatively Keishōhoku Province, Keisho Hoku, or North Keishō Province, was a province of Korea under Japanese rule. Its capital was at Taikyū (Daegu). The province consisted of what is now the South Korean province of North Gyeongsang a ...

Korea, Empire of Japan From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

. During Japanese colonial occupation, Kim resided at various Buddhist temples, including the Donghaksa Temple, studying

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

, and

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

classic texts. Following

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

, Kim entered

Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or ''Seongdae'', ) is a private research university with campuses in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan founded in 1398 in central Seoul.Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, and graduated with a degree in

Korean Literature Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in the Korean language and sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea's 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is commonly divided into classi ...

. Kim made his official literary debut in 1949 while still a student, with the publication of "Night in the Mountains" (''Sanjungya'') and "Ode to a White Pagoda" (''Baegtapsong'') in New World."Kim Guyong" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online
Kim worked for the Hyundai Munhak Monthly and taught at Kyun Kwan University.

Work

During the period marked by the devastating aftermath of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, Kim Gu-yong focused his poetic objective on the treatment of the postwar psychosocial and political upheaval, through the unique lens of the Buddhist religious tradition. In his poetry dating from the period, Kim utilized the form of the prose poem, which eschews the internal breaks and divisions created by the lines and stanza of traditional verses. To maintain a poetic element within his work, Kim employed a poetic language rich in semantic possibility. In fact, the absence of rigid versification in his works ultimately serves to heighten the tension in this poetic language. Kim's poetic career witnessed a transition from the prose poem of the post-Korean War period to longer poems such as "Song in Praise of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy" (Gwaneumchan), "Ideals of the Dream" (Kkumui isang), and "Six Songs" (Yukgok). These longer poems evince the poet's desire to penetrate to the core of self-consciousness, though they also possess a philosophical profundity otherwise difficult to effectively convey in shorter poetry. Though grounded in Buddhist thought, Kim's poetry reveals the deep influence of Western

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

in the development of the poet's aesthetic. His concurrent borrowing from the prose form, however, suggests foremost the poet's penchant for experimentation and desire to reinvent and reinvigorate traditional versification. Thus in both form and content, the poetry of Kim Guyong forged a new path in the development of modern Korean poetry.

Works in Korean

Collections * Poems 1 (1969) * Poems (1976) * Nine Melodies (1978) Notable Poems * "Song in Praise of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy" (''Gwaneumchan'') * "Ideals of the Dream" (''Kkumui isang'') * "Six Songs" (''Yukgok'') * "Night in the mountains" (''Sanjungya'') * "Ode on a White Pagoda" (''Baegtapsong'') * "Escape" (''Talchul'') * "Heart of Radiance" (''Bungwangui simjang'') * "Scattered" (''Sanjae'') * "Naked Slave" (''Jeongnarahan noye'')

References

Sources

whatsonkorea.com
*"" (Chungnam University dissertation by ):
dbpia.co.kr
* omplete works/2000.

.
Autobiographical notes:Nate encyclopedia article:Photo on people.empas.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Gu-yong 1922 births 2001 deaths South Korean male poets 20th-century South Korean artists 20th-century South Korean male artists 20th-century Korean calligraphers People from Sangju 20th-century South Korean poets 20th-century Korean male writers 21st-century South Korean artists 21st-century South Korean male artists 21st-century calligraphers Sungkyunkwan University alumni

Biography

Work

Works in Korean

See also

References

Sources