Growth of a Shadow : Selected Poems of Taejoon Moon

A collection of 71 poems by Korean author Taejoon Moon, these selected works bring a deeper meaning to the ordinary aspects of everyday life through Moon’s keen observations of his surroundings combined with his use of rich details. Inviting a different level of understanding, these observations—from a woman struggling with cancer to a flower dying in a pot to a herd of black goats—demonstrate Moon’s profound engagement with the world around him and encourages the same in his readers. Not only displaying an appreciation of the beauty and simplicity of everyday life, this collection also illustrates contemporary Korean literature and society with minimally elegant style.

Taejoon Moon has received the East and West Literary Award, the Nojak Literary Award, the Yoosim Literary Award, the Soweol Literary Award, and the Midang Literary Award. He is the author of Flatfish, Murmuring Backyard, and Naked Foot. Won-Chung Kim has translated eight books of Korean poetry into English, including Heart’s Agony, and translated My First Summer in the Sierra into Korean from English. Christopher Merrill directs the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program and is the author of Brilliant Water and Things of the Hidden God. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.