Posted : 2021-01-22 13:09 By Mattho Mandersloot
Poet Choi Jeong-ryeOn Jan. 16, the world lost an incredible poet, thinker and, above all, human being. No amount of writing will suffice to sing her praises, but, as one of her translators, I will offer a few words here, in hopes of showing just how incredible she really was. I was privileged enough to make her acquaintance at a London event in 2018, after which we remained in touch. Words fail me to describe how fortunate I feel to have known her. Allow me to commit my impressions of her to memory.
When Choi and I first crossed paths, after the School of Oriental and African Studies invited her to give a reading, she forever changed my perception of poetry. Up until then, I had thought of poetry as a pursuit reserved for a select few, to whom it chose to present itself. Choi made me realize poetry is not only for everyone, it is also everywhere.
Posted : 2021-01-17 14:30 By Kwon Mee-yoo
Poet Choi Jeong-ryePoet Choi Jeong-rye passed away Saturday at the age of 66. Known as one of Korea s most exacting and innovative poets, Choi wrote prose poems drawing strange qualities out of everyday experiences.
The poet was diagnosed with a rare blood disease last summer and died from cerebral hemorrhage while fighting the disease.
Born in 1955 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Choi studied Korean poetry at Korea University and earned her doctoral degree there.
She made her literary debut through Hyeondae-sihak (Contemporary Poetics) magazine in 1990 and published poetry collections such as A Forest of Bamboo in My Ear (1994), Tigers in the Sunlight (2001), Crimson Field (2001), Lebanese Emotion (2006), Kangaroo is Kangaroo I am I (2011) and Ditch is Dragon s Hometown (2015).