Chang Soo Ko
Encyclopedia
Ko Chang Soo is a Korean poet and diplomat.
Chang obtained a Doctor of Letters degree from Sungkyunkwan University
in Seoul, Korea, his dissertation being on Buddhist thought in T. S. Eliot
's Four Quartets. He served his country as a career diplomat, being South Korea
n consul general in Seattle, Washington in the United States and ambassador to Ethiopia
and Pakistan
.
His poetry is written in Korean, but he has translated much of his own as well as other Korean poetry. In addition to having a number of books with his poetry, he has had poems published in such journals as World Poetry, Viewpoint 11, and Curious Cats. Ko has won various Korean poetry prizes as well as the Lucian Blaga International Poetry Festival Grand Prize in Romania. Some of his poery has also been translated into Spanish. He also has won the Modern Korean Literature Translation Award.
Much of Ko's poetry reflects his knowledge of Western culture and literature, as seen in such poems as "To Marc Chagall." Other poems examine and reflect on his experience in Korea (e.g., "In a Remote Korean Village") and other places around the world (e.g., his long poem, "Mohenjo-Daro"). Many, though not all, of his poems are set out-of-doors. Some of these place the poet in the setting.
Chang obtained a Doctor of Letters degree from Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University is a private university in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. The university has two campuses: the Humanities and Social Sciences campus in Myeongnyun Dong, Jongno-gu in central Seoul, and the Natural Sciences Campus in Cheoncheon Dong, Jangan Gu, Suwon...
in Seoul, Korea, his dissertation being on Buddhist thought in T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's Four Quartets. He served his country as a career diplomat, being South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n consul general in Seattle, Washington in the United States and ambassador to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
His poetry is written in Korean, but he has translated much of his own as well as other Korean poetry. In addition to having a number of books with his poetry, he has had poems published in such journals as World Poetry, Viewpoint 11, and Curious Cats. Ko has won various Korean poetry prizes as well as the Lucian Blaga International Poetry Festival Grand Prize in Romania. Some of his poery has also been translated into Spanish. He also has won the Modern Korean Literature Translation Award.
Much of Ko's poetry reflects his knowledge of Western culture and literature, as seen in such poems as "To Marc Chagall." Other poems examine and reflect on his experience in Korea (e.g., "In a Remote Korean Village") and other places around the world (e.g., his long poem, "Mohenjo-Daro"). Many, though not all, of his poems are set out-of-doors. Some of these place the poet in the setting.
Publications
- What the Spider Said: Poems of Chang Soo Ko. Translated by the poet. (2004)
- Between Sound and Silence: Poems of Chang Soo Ko. Hollym: Elizabeth, NJ /Seoul. 2000. (Poems in original Korean and with English translations by the poet.)
- Sound of Silence: Poems. Leo Books. (1996)
- Seattle Poems. Poetry Around Press, Seattle. (1992)
- Park, Je-chun 1997 Sending the Ship out to the Stars: Poems of Park Je-chun. Translated from the Korean by Ko Chang-soo. East Asia Program, Cornell University: Ithaca, NY.
Sources and External links
- About Ko: http://langtech.dickinson.edu/sirena/Issue4/Ko.htm
- About Ko: * http://www.homabooks.com/general/books/east_asia/Korea/1024.php (includes "Ex-diplomat Poet Weaves Metaphors from Spider Web" by Iris Moon, The Korea Herald
- McCann, Daniel 2000 "Preface" to Between Sound and Silence.
- Some of his poems in English: http://www.poemworld.co.kr/lhw/reboard/list.php3?custom=poem
- some of his poems in English: http://www.munhakac.co.kr/reboard/list.php3?custom=English