| Theresa Hyun |
By Kim Bo-eun
Novelist Han Kang's "The Vegetarian" winning the Man Booker International Prize last month has shed light on Korean literature, but a Canadian Korean-language poet and scholar says she wishes to contribute to further promoting literary works here.
"Western people are not very familiar with Korean literature. I would like to make it better known," Theresa Hyun told The Korea Times in an interview in downtown Seoul, Wednesday.
Hyun said she will do this by continuing to study literary translation, teach related courses as well as create festivals and events to which she will invite Korean writers to in the future.
"Translation is a difficult, painstaking process, but is important for Korean literature," she said.
Hyun is currently teaching Korean studies at York University in Toronto and is an honorary member of the Korean Canadian Writers' Association. She is visiting Seoul for the publication of her second poetry book.
Hyun first came to Korea in 1980 to teach English and French literature at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. She wrote her first poem in Korean a decade later at a seminar offered by a local publisher.
"I was very nervous but all the participants were very encouraging. Writing poems became an addiction since then," Hyun recalled.
Hyun composes her poems in Korean first and then translates them into English. "Peace on the Korean Peninsula" is a key theme for Hyun.
The title of her latest compilation of poems is "Riding the Peace Express," which is based on the "Peace Train" exhibited at Imjingak near the border between the Koreas. The train has been preserved since the end of the Korea War (1950-53).
"The train is damaged by gunfire and is rusty but it is not just a remnant of war ― it is a symbol for Korea to strive for something better," she said.
Hyun added that as a poet she is making an effort to shift the paradigm people have of unification.
"Most people approach it from a realistic perspective, but I think the mission of the poet is to go beyond that," she said.
In her poems, Hyun attempts to highlight the common history and traditions that the two Koreas share, instead of focusing on the differences.
One of the poems in her latest book describes the traditional ancestral rites conducted both in the North and the South, and another envisions ancestors of the Goryeo and kings of the Joseon kingdoms, while depicting a temple.
These are based on her observations of the nooks and crannies of Korea. Hyun is now based in Toronto but comes to Korea every year to conduct research.
Hyun also has interest in the literary works of female writers in the North.
"Although many are centered on praising the government, some poems show emotions shared by not only South Korean counterparts and Canadians but also women around the world," Hyun said.
She mentioned a poem by a working mother, who depicts the struggles she faces at work and at home.
As such, Hyun aims to show the human side of people in North Korea, contrary to negative views of the regime generated by reports by the foreign press.