Noh Cheonmyeong (; September 2, 1912 – December 10, 1957) was an early-modern South Korean poet.

Biography

Noh Cheonmyeong was born on September 2, 1912, in

Kōkai Province , alternatively Kōkai Province, was a province of Korea under Japanese rule. Its capital was at Kaishū (now Haeju). The province consisted of what is now the Hwanghae Province of North Korea. Population Number of people by nationality acco ...

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 ...

. In 1934 Noh graduated with a B.A. in English from

Ewha Womans University Ewha Womans University () is a private women's research university in Seoul, South Korea. It was originally founded as Ewha Haktang on May 31, 1886, by missionary Mary F. Scranton. Currently, Ewha Womans University is one of the world's largest f ...

. Noh was a participant in the Drama Arts Society and a reporter for several newspapers including the Choson Chungang Ilbo, '' Maeil Sinbo'', ''

Seoul Shinmun ''Seoul Shinmun'' () is a Korean-language daily newspaper published in South Korea. The newspaper claims descendency from a newspaper established by Englishman Ernest Bethell in Korea on 29 June 1904 called '' The Korea Daily News'' (''Taehan ...

'', and Punyo Shinmun. Noh also worked as a lecturer at Sorabol Arts College, Ewha Womans University, and

Kookmin University Kookmin University () is a Private university, private research university established in 1946 in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It has historic significance, as it was founded during by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and is ...

. Noh died in 1957. During the Korean War, Noh was convicted of being involved in anti-government activities and sentenced to twenty years in jail. After the efforts of writers Kim Gwangseop and Lee Heongu, Noh was released after serving six months."Noh Cheonmyeong" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at:

Work

Noh made her literary debut with publication of her poem, "Nae cheongchunui baeneun" in Siwon. Her posthumous collection, Songs of Deer was published in 1958, and in 1960, her family published the Collected Works of Noh Chon-myong.Source-attribution, "Noh Cheonmyeong" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: The Literature Institute of Korea summarizes Noh's contributions to Korean Literature: :Noh's first collection of poems, Coral Forest (Sanhorim), Noh evokes a world of nostalgia through carefully framed recollections of her childhood. Pieces such as "Self-portrait"(Jahwasang) and "Deer" (Saseum) are existential explorations of solitude. Her second collection, Changbyeon, which was published after Korean independence from Japan, expanded upon the themes in her Coral Forest melancholy, solitude, love and nostalgia and is often considered an extension of her first collection. Both volumes are characterized by a lyrical intertwining of solitude and nostalgia in simple, delicate language. The poems at once delineate the solitary space where connection with another is impossible and express a kind of anti-nostalgia in the hopes of transcending the past.

Works in Korean (Partial)

* A Forest of Coral ( Self-published, 1938) * By the Window (Maeil Shinbo-sa, 1945) * Gazing at the Stars (Huimang Publisher, 1953) * Songs of Deer (Hallim-sa, 1958) * Collected Works of Chon-myong (Chonmyongsa, 1960)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noh Cheonmyeong 1911 births South Korean women poets 1957 deaths 20th-century South Korean poets 20th-century South Korean women writers Pungcheon No clan The Chosun Ilbo people Academic staff of Ewha Womans University Seoul Shinmun people Academic staff of Kookmin University Ewha Womans University alumni