A master of one liner, Shin Dal-Ja begins another remarkable volume of verse,
Bukchon, with two one-liners, and no stanza break. Adopting this simple yet hard-to-master technique, she achieves uncommon concentration and musicality. The village called Bukchon is depicted as a regional utopia. Therein are multitudes of beautiful things: age-old trees, artwork traditional and modern, totally Korean-style houses and buildings, and most of all, lovable fellow citizens who breathe together the living past in present. This is the authentic identity of the poet and her village, ultimately of her country Korea. Shin's verse is a pleasure to the eye, a transformative force to the mind. To top it all, her lyrical strength, with ample display of subtle wit, often shines beyond imagination.
Shin Dal-Ja has published several poetry books including
Ardent Love,
Paper. For her elegant and gorgeous verse she was awarded the Gongcho Literary Award, the Jeong Jiyong Literary Award, and the Daesan Literary Award, among others. She served as the president of the Society of Korean Poets, and is a member of the National Academy of Arts. A recipient of numerous grants for her English translation of modern Korean literature,
Cho Young-Shil has translated seven contemporary poetry books including
Paper by Shin Dal-Ja (Codhill Press, 2018) and
Invisible Land of Love by Chonggi Mah (Homa & Sekey Books, 2022).
