Back to Heaven: Selected Poems of Ch'on Sang Pyong, English Language Edition (Cornell East Asia, No. 77) (Cornell East Asia Series Volume 77) [Paperback]

Brother Anthony (Author), Chon Sang Pyong (Author), Brother Anthony of Taize (Translator), Young-Moo Kim (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1885445776 | ISBN-13: 978-1885445773 | Publication Date: December 1995

These poems by "the happiest man in the world" are full of light though written in dark times. Ch'ôn had the art of seeing the beauty of life beyond all the pain, and of putting it into the music of words. Recently, many young Koreans have discovered in these poems and in the poet's life the innocence and honesty they look for in vain in modern society. His poverty and his body broken by torture never made Ch'ôn bitter or angry; his poems are hymns of joy at the marvels of nature and the simple pleasures of life. His greatest poem sees death, not as the end but as a journey "back to heaven" where he plans to tell the angels how beautiful life in this world can be.

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About the Author

Brother Anthony (An Sonjae) was born in England in 1942. After studying at Oxford he joined the Community of Taizé in France in 1969. He went to Korea in 1980 and has been Professor in the English Department of Sogang University, Seoul, since 1985. His publications include translations of works by Ku Sang, Kim Swang-kyu, and Yi Mun-hol. Young Moo Kim, author of many critical essays on modern Korean literature, was professor of English at Seoul National University until his death in 2001.

Product Details

• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ East Asia Program (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885445776
• ISBN-13: 978-1885445773
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,051,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)