The poet - Softcover

Yi Mun-Yol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1860460119 ISBN 13: 9781860460111

Publisher: Harvill Press, 1995

Synopsis

When the King's governor, after falling into rebel hands and changing sides, is recaptured by royal troops and executed, his sons and grandsons are also condemned to death. They survive by subterfuge, but they have lost their place in society. The Poet tells the story of Kim, the youngest grandson, consigned to a life of vagrancy and genteel begging as a wandering poet. In his efforts to recover the family's fortunes, he commits a second betrayal, this time against his own house. This is a haunting and luminous tale whose main themes are the search for self-respect and self-identity in an unjust society.

About this title

About the Author

Yi Mun-Yol was born in 1948. During the Korean War (1950-3), his father supported the North Korea side for ideological reasons and went to live in the North, leaving his family in the South. In his youth, Yi Mun-Yol had to bear the stigma of being a 'traitor's son'. With more than 30 books published and sales totalling many millions of copies, Yi Mun-Yol is Korea's leading novelist. The Poet has been translated into all the major western languages.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Korean

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvill Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1860460119
• ISBN 13: 9781860460111
• Binding: Paperback