Kim Kwang kyu

Life

Kim was born in Seoul and studied German language and literature at Seoul National University. Early in his university career, he participated in the demonstrations of the April Revolution that was repressed by a massacre on April 19, 1960, leading to the fall of President Syngman Rhee. He later studied for two years in Munich 1972-4. He discovered a talent for writing during his middle and high school years when his works were published in school magazines and even won a national prize. However, he did not begin writing poetry until his return from Germany in his mid-thirties. He has been working as a professor in the German department of Hanyang University (Seoul) since 1980. He has published translations of 19th century German poems (1980), of poems by Bertolt Brecht (1985), of radio dramas by Günter Eich (1986), and of poems by Günter Eich (1987).

Work

Kim utilizes simple yet highly effective language to capture the forgotten truth behind everyday experiences. According to fellow poet Choi Yearn-hong, "The most important quality of Kim Kwang-kyu's poems is that they are easy to read." With chilling poise, Kim provides a critique of the unjust world while at the same time allowing readers to reassess their own lives.

Awards

Awards for translations

Works in Translation

Works in Korean (partial)