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The poems in WHALE AND VAPOR emphasize exhaustion--physically, mentally, and as an existential condition. Kim Kyung Ju playfully turns toward the lyric in this work as a way to reconcile himself with the contemporary world by engaging in dialogue with his Korean literary ancestry. Masterfully translated by Jake Levine in close conversation with the author, this collection by one of the most popular and critically acclaimed poets to come out in South Korea in the new millennium explores the cold tunnels of today's tired, dark times.
About the author
Kim Kyung Ju is a Seoul-based poet, dramatist and performance artist. His plays have been produced abroad in several countries and his poetry and essays are widely anthologized in South Korea. He has written and translated over a dozen books of poetry, essays, and plays, and has been the recipient of many prizes and awards, including the Korean government's Today's Young Artist Prize and the Kim Su-yong Contemporary Poetry Award. He is the author of WHALE AND VAPOR, translated by Jake Levine (Black Ocean, 2020), BUTTERFLY SLEEP (Tupelo Press, 2019), BRED FROM THE EYES OF A WOLF, translated by Jake Levine (Plays Inverse Press, 2018), and I AM A SEASON THAT DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS WORLD, translated by Jake Levine (Black Ocean, 2016).
