Huh Young-ja


Introduction

Huh Young-ja is a Korean female poet. She is called “The Poet of Love and Moderation,”embodying Oriental lyricism such as ‘han’, love and waiting in a highly condensed beauty. She is regarded as a unique poet who combines traditional and modern sentiments.

Life

Huh was born on August 31st, 1938 in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province. She graduated from Gyeonggi Girls' High School and Sookmyung Women's University. She had her childhood during the Korean War and began reading books as a way of overcoming harsh realities. She mainly read classical Korean literature, the collected works of world literature and Korean literature, etc. In 1961, she debuted with Dojeongyeonga , published in Modern Literature at the recommendation of Park Mok-wol. She worked with Kim Seon-yeong and Kim Hu-ran in 1963 to organize a female poetry coterie Cheongmihoe. She published poetry collections Gaseumen deut nunen deut , Eoyeoppeumiya eojji kkotppunirya , Joyonghan seulpeum , Eunui mugemankeum , Tumyeonge daehayeo oe and others. She also published sijo collection Somyeorui gippeum , essay collections Han songi kkotdo dangsin tteuseuro and Areumdaun salmeul hyanghayeo and literary studies Hankuk yeoseongsiui ihaewa gamsang .
She served as a secondary school teacher at Gyeseong Girls' High School, a professor of Korean literature at Sungshin Women’s University, the standing director of Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, and the chairman of the Society of Korean Poets and the Korean Women's Literature Association. She won the Society of Korean Poets Award in 1972, the Woltan Literary Prize in 1985, the Dongni·Mogwol Literary Prize in 2008, the Heo Nanseolheon Poetry Prize and the Republic of Korea's Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2015.

Writing

Poems of Love and Moderation
She is called “The Poet of Love and Moderation”. The nickname derives from the beauty of form achieved through the implications of love and meaning, her works’ main subject. The Oriental love song-style lyric poetry that uses ‘han’ as the main emotion and delicately depicts separation and longing of the beloved one is the biggest feature of her poetry.
Love in her poetry is not limited to erotic love between men and women, but is manifested in various forms, including parental and filial love and love for religious absolutes. Her poem regards “love” as the greatest value and reveals the multifaceted meaning of “love”. Huh’s “love” extends beyond the realm of emotion and into reality. Bundan – Sangsacho sings of the sorrow of the national division by comparing it to Sangsacho whose flowers and leaves cannot meet.
Another feature of her poetry, “moderation”, is expressed as a form of condensed beauty. The poet herself tried to make it contain the most meaning in as little language as possible. She described the value of acquiring rhythm, implications, polysemy, symbolism through temperance of language in the eight-line Muju. In Jasu is tinged with Buddhism, using incense and kindles. Im presents the pantheistic worldview in which all is God and Chakan moksu eulogizes Jesus’ sacrifice and love. This attitude goes beyond the religious meaning and extends to a saga of men who put the broken selves at the center of the world in her poetry collection Makdalla maria . Multifaceted religiousness in her poems is seen to be attributable to a flexible attitude toward life and multilateral perspectives.

Works

  1. Poetry Collections
《가슴엔 듯 눈엔 듯》, 중앙문화사, 1966 / Gaseumen deut nunen deut, Joonangmunhwasa, 1966
《친전》, 문원사, 1971 / Chinjeon, Munwonsa, 1971
《어여쁨이야 어찌 꽃뿐이랴》, 범문사, 1977 / Eoyeoppeumiya eojji kkotppunirya, Beommunsa, 1977
《빈 들판을 걸어가면》, 열음사, 1984 / Bin deulpaneul georeogamyeon, Yeoreumsa, 1984
《내 작은 사랑은》, 예전사, 1986 / Nae jageun sarangeun, Yejeonsa, 1986
《조용한 슬픔》, 문학세계사, 1990 / Joyonghan seulpeum, Munhaksegyesa, 1990
《기타를 치는 집시의 노래》, 미래문화사, 1995 / Gitareul chineun jipsiui norae, Miraemunhwasa, 1995
《목마른 꿈으로써》, 마을, 1997 / Mongmareun kkumeurosseo, Maeul, 1997
《무지개를 사랑한 걸 후회하지 말자》, 좋은날, 1998 / Mujigaereul saranghan geol huhoehaji malja, Joeunnal, 1998
《은의 무게만큼》, 마을, 2007 / Eunui mugemankeum, Maeul, 2007
《마리아 막달라》, 서정시학, 2017 / Maria makdalla, Seojeongsihak, 2017
《투명에 대하여 외》, 황금알, 2017 / Tumyeonge daehayeo oe, Goldegg, 2017
2. Sijo Collection
《소멸의 기쁨》, 문학수첩, 2003 / Somyeorui gippeum, Moonhak Soochup, 2003
3. Anthology
《이별하는 길머리엔》, 문학사상사, 1986 / Ibyeolhaneun gilmeorien, Literature & Thought, 1986
《말의 향기》, 고려원, 1988 / Marui hyanggi, Koreaone, 1988
《암청의 문신》, 미래사, 1991 / Amcheongui munsin, Miraesa, 1991
《허영자 전시집》, 마을 1998 / Huh Young-ja jeonsijip, Maeul, 1998
《얼음과 불꽃》, 시월, 2008 / Eoreumgwa bulkkot, Siwol, 2008
《모순의 향기》, 시인생각, 2013 / Mosunui hyanggi, Siinsaenggak, 2013
4. Essay
《한 송이 꽃도 당신 뜻으로》, 문학예술사, 1978 / Han songi kkotdo dangsin tteuseuro, Munhagyesulsa, 1978
《아름다운 삶을 향하여》, 문학세계사, 1980 / Areumdaun salmeul hyanghayeo, Munhaksegyesa, 1980
《내가 너의 이름을 부르면》, 학원사, 1984 / Naega neoui ireumeul bureumyeon, Hakwonsa, 1984
《영혼을 노래하며 아픔을 나누며》, 학원사, 1985 / Yeonghoneul noraehamyeo apeumeul nanumyeo, Hakwonsa, 1985
《사랑과 추억의 불꽃》, 자유문학사, 1987 / Saranggwa chueogui bulkkot, Jayumunhaksa, 1987
《내일 우리가 이별할지라도》, 청맥, 1988 / Naeil uriga ibyeolhaljirado, Cheongmaek, 1988  
《우리 무엇을 꿈꾸었다 말하랴》, 백상, 1988 / Uri mueoseul kkumkkueotda malharya, Baeksan, 1988
《슬프지 않은 뒷모습은 없다》, 청맥, 1989 / Seulpeuji aneun dwinmoseubeun eopda, Cheongmaek, 1989
《가을 사진첩》, 청아, 1991 / Gaeul sajincheop, Cheonga, 1991
《휘발유 같은 여자이고 싶다》, 시학사, 1992 / Hwibaryu gateun yeojaigo sipda, Sihaksa, 1992
《불로뉴 숲의 아침이슬》, 청산, 1993 / Bullonyu supui achimiseul, Chungsan, 1993
《우리들의 사랑을 위하여》, 자유문학사, 1996 / Urideurui sarangeul wihayeo, Jayumunhaksa, 1996
《허영자 수필집》, 마을, 1998 / Huhyoungja supiljip, Maeul, 1998
《사랑의 일곱 가지 빛깔》, 정민미디어, 2003 / Sarangui ilgop gaji bitkkal, Jeongmin Media, 2003
《살아 있다는 것의 기쁨》, 을지출판공사, 2015 / Sara itdaneun geosui gippeum, Euljichulpangongsa, 2015
5. Theoretical Books
《한국여성시의 이해와 감상》, 문학아카데미, 1997 / Hankuk yeoseongsiui ihaewa gamsang, Literature Academy, 1997 by Huh Young-ja et al
《한국문학 새로 읽기》, 성신여자대학교출판부, 1999 / Hangunkmunhak saero ikgi, Sungshin Women’s University Press, 1999
6. Collections
《사랑은 스스로 선택하는 고통입니다》, 둥지, 2008 / Sarangeun seuseuro seontaekaneun gotongimnida, Dungji, 2008 by Huh Young-ja, Yu An-jin, Mun Jeong-hui, I Hyang-a, Cheon Yang-hui, Park Hyeon-ryeong, Kim So-yeop, Kim Gyeong-hui, Seo Gyeong-on
<동백 지다>, 이근배, 허영자 외 / Dongbaeng jida by Lee Geun-bae, Huh Young-ja, et al
《시, 우주를 채우다》, 현대시학사, 2019 / Si, ujureul chaeuda, Hyeondaesihaksa, 2019
7. Children’s Poem
《어머니의 기도》, 신태양사, 1996 / Eomeoniui gido, Sintaeyangsa, 1996

Works in Translation

Awards

Society of Korean Poets Award

Woltan Literary Prize
National Literary Award
Mogwol· Dongni Literary Prize
Heo Nanseolheon Poetry Prize
Republic of Korea’s Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit