Language Korean Name Do Jong-hwan Citizenship South Korean | Ethnicity Korean Nationality South Korean Role Poet | |
 | ||
A Poem A Day - Lily Magnolia by Do Jong Hwan
Do Jong Hwan (This is the author's preferred Romanization per LTI Korea) is a Korean poet
Contents
Life
Do Jong Hwan (born September 27, 1954 in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea) was an ordinary school teacher and a part-time poet until the death of his wife—just two years after they married—compelled him to write Hollyhocks, a collection of love poems which brought him critical acclaim and instant fame. After his wife’s death, Do has endeavored to embrace his life more fully. With the goal of improving educational standards, he served as the regional director for a teacher’s union, and was also active as a regional leader for an organization promoting democracy. Though he lost his job as a teacher and was even jailed for his activities, he has continued to fight for justice and better future.
Work
Written in part as a tribute to his deceased wife who reminded him of hollyhocks, Hollyhocks makes palpable the poet’s grief at the sudden loss of his love and the intense longing for the happiness he shared with his wife. When he turns away “leaving a song by her grave,” she follows him home “in the weeping of nameless insects;” when he heads home, “leaving a tear drop upon her grave,” she becomes “the rain that soaks through the core of (his) body.” In order to overcome his anguish and despair, the poet embraces the world with a new perspective. Through his suffering, the poet has realized that life must go on even if it is more painful than death.
Since that time Do has also written about the issue of Division of Korea, depicting the difficulties on a single people in a divided country, Do opens up new possibilities for the unification of North Korea and South Korea. He is the recipient of many Korean literary prizes.