Sowol Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 10 (1995) Winner
Cheon Yanghui
チョン・ヤンヒ
Cheon Yanghui
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1942-01-21 （Busan, Keishōnan Province, Korea, Empire of Japan）
- Nationality
- South Korean
- Languages
- Korean
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Writer
- Active Years
- 1965-
- Influenced By
- Pak Dujin (recommended her early poems), Father (pansori enthusiast; poetic influence), Grandfather (lay Buddhist influence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ewha Womans University | College of Liberal Arts | Department of Korean Literature | 学士（国文学） | — | South Korea |
Ewha Womans University
College of Liberal Arts
/ Department of Korean Literature
Degree:
学士（国文学）
Country:
South Korea
Enrolled in 1962; graduation year not specified in sources.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Sowol Poetry Prize | Fastening Buttons | — | Sowol Poetry Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award | Old Alley and four others | — | Hyundae Munhak | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Gong Cho Literature Prize | — | — | Gong Cho Literature Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Pak Dujin Literary Award | — | — | Pak Dujin Literary Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Han Yong-un Literature Prize | — | — | Han Yong-un Literature Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| — | Manhae Literature Prize | — | — | Manhae Literature Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Sowol Poetry Prize
1996
Work:
Fastening Buttons
Organization:
Sowol Poetry Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award
1998
Work:
Old Alley and four others
Organization:
Hyundae Munhak
Result:
受賞
Gong Cho Literature Prize
2005
Organization:
Gong Cho Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Pak Dujin Literary Award
2007
Organization:
Pak Dujin Literary Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Han Yong-un Literature Prize
2011
Organization:
Han Yong-un Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Manhae Literature Prize
Organization:
Manhae Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Hyundae Munhak Award (Contemporary Literature Award)
1 appearances
Works
Major Works
If God Asks Us
1984 Poetry collectionA collection published after a long hiatus from writing. It contains poems that delicately explore questions of existence and small moments of light in everyday life.
existencereligious/philosophical reflectionrenewaleveryday life
Translations
- Selected poems translated and published in journals (e.g., Korean Literature Today).
Sorghum Field of the Heart
1994 Poetry collectionHer best-known collection. Moving away from earlier poems focused on an isolated self, it portrays everyday hardships, sorrow, and hope from a mature perspective.
everyday lifesorrowhopefamily
Old Alley
1998 Poetry collectionA collection that examines everyday details through alleys and memories of the past. The title poem and others received critical acclaim and helped lead to awards.
memoryalleysnostalgiafragments of everyday life
Too Many Mouths
2005 Poetry collectionA collection that further elaborates on the act of writing and publishing poetry in modern society, considering the difficulties and responsibilities of poetic practice.
responsibility of writingsocietydifficulty of expressionintrospection
Sometimes I Stand Motionless
2011 Poetry collectionA later collection themed around calm, silence, and introspection. It is characterized by a quiet gaze on everyday life.
silenceintrospectiontimeobservation of everyday life
Bibliography
- If God Asks Us (poetry collection, 1984)
- Sorghum Field of the Heart (poetry collection, 1994)
- Old Alley (poetry collection, 1998)
- Too Many Mouths (poetry collection, 2005)
- Sometimes I Stand Motionless (poetry collection, 2011)
- Into Jikso Fall (essays, 2004)
- Strolling in the Forest of Poetry (essays, 2006)
- When in Desperation, We Always Kneel Down (essays, 2013)
- I Am a Wind That Does Not Howl (essays, 2014)
- Writing Class (essays, 2015)
Translations of Works
- Selected poems in Korean Literature Today Vol. 4, No. 4 (Winter, 1999)
- Poems published in Shi to Sozo (Poetry and Creation) Vol. 59 (Japanese translations/excerpts)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- introspective and lyrical styleconcise, concentrated expressionplain speech using everyday vocabularyincludes religious and philosophical reflection
- Recurring Motifs
- roads/alleysbirdsscars and life-flowers blooming on themdomestic and everyday scenesmouths/conversation (expression and silence)
Health
-
Tuberculosis1969-1983Led to long-term treatment and contributed to the interruption of her writing.
-
Heart condition1969-1983Affected daily life and creative activity as a health constraint.
Legacy
She is regarded as one of South Korea's notable contemporary poets; particularly her later works are praised for portraying everyday sorrow and hope from a mature perspective. She has received multiple major literary awards and had poems translated and published internationally.
Trivia
- Born in Busan as the youngest of seven children.
- Literary debut in 1965 when poems were published in Hyundae Munhak, recommended by Pak Dujin.
- Stopped writing after marriage in 1969; during the hiatus she managed a dressmaker's shop and later divorced before returning to poetry.
- Suffered from tuberculosis and a heart condition, which affected her ability to write for a period.
- Returned to publishing in the 1980s; her 1994 collection Sorghum Field of the Heart is considered her best-known work.
- Major awards include the Sowol Poetry Prize (1996), Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award (1998), Gong Cho Literature Prize (2005), Pak Dujin Literary Award (2007), and Han Yong-un Literature Prize (2011).