Mun Tae-jun (, born 1970) is a South Korean

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Career

Mun Tae-jun has published several poetry collections since his prize-winning debut in 1994, and the great artistic potential of his works have gained the attention of many literary artists and critics. Mun Tae-jun's poems employ a comforting language to soothe the wounds of the soul. His poems seek to assuage the pains of those suffering from the violence and oppression of a heartless society. He values "conversation" highly, emphasizing full empathy between two existences, such as when he says, "That over there, is in me here; and I here, am in that over there. Let me respect that which is not me, and therefore those things that are me." The poet aspires to a state in which the subject and object are not distinct form one another, but fused together. In this respect, Mun Tae-jun carries on the traditional lyrical tradition. His poetry collection ''The Development of Dusk'' (2008) was translated to English by Kim Won-Chung and Christopher Merrill and published as ''The Growth of a Shadow'' (2012). A handful of his other works have also been translated.

Selected works

Works in translation

* ''The Growth of a Shadow: Selected Poems of Taejoon Moon'' (2012) - translated by Kim Won-Chung and Christopher Merrill

Works in Korean (partial)

Poetry collections

* ''Crowded Backyard'' (, 2000) * ''Bare Feet'' (, 2004) * ''Flatfish'' (, 2006) * ''The Development of Dusk'' (, 2008) * ''A Distant Place'' (, 2012) * ''Our Final Face'' (, 2015) * ''What Is the End of What I Long For?'' (, 2018)

Prose collections

* ''Embrace: Holding You, I Am Stained'' (, 2007)

Awards

* Dongseo Literary Prize (2004) * Nojak Literary Prize (2004) *

Midang Literary Award Midang Literary Award () is established in June 2001 by the JoongAng Ilbo to honor the literary achievements of Seo Jeong-ju Seo Jeong-ju (; May 18, 1915 – December 24, 2000) was a Korean poet and academic who wrote under the art name Mi ...

(2005) - for "누가 울고 간다" * Yushim Literary Prize (2006) *

Sowol Poetry Prize The Sowol Poetry Prize () is one of the most prestigious literary awards in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and border ...

(2006) - for "그맘때에는"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mun, Tae-jun 1970 births South Korean writers South Korean poets Living people Midang Literary Award winners South Korean Buddhists