Moon In-soo

Korean name
Hangul
문인수
Hanja
文寅洙
Revised RomanizationMun Insu
McCune–ReischauerMun Insu

Moon In-soo (born 1945) is a South Korean poet.

Life

Moon In-soo was born in June 1945 in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province. He studied Korean literature at Dongguk University but dropped out. He began his literary career in 1985 when he published Neungsubeodeul (능수버들 A Weeping Willow) in Shimsang. He has published poetry collections, Neup-e neup-I jeotdeutsi (늪에 늪이 젖듯이 As the Swamp Becomes Wet in the Swamp), Sesang modeun gileun jibeuro ganda (세상 모든 길은 집으로 간다 All Roads Lead to Home), Ppul (뿔 The Horn), Hwaechineun san (홰치는 산 The Fluttering Mountain), Donggangui nopeun sae (동강의 높은 새 The High Bird of Donggang), Shh! (쉬!), Baekkob (배꼽 The Bellybutton), Jeokmak sori (적막 소리 The Sound of Silence), Geuribdaneun malui gin pan (그립다는 말의 긴 판 Writing How I Miss You On a Long Panel), Dalbuk (달북), and Naneun jigeum igotsi anida (나는 지금 이곳이 아니다 I'm Not Here Now). He has won the 14th Daegu Literary Award in 1996, the 11th Kim Daljin Literary Prize in 2000, the 3rd Nojak Literature Prize in 2003, the 11th Poetry and Poetics Award in 2006, the 17th Pyeon-un Literature Award in 2007, and the 10th Korea Catholic Literature Award for Poetry in 2007, as well as the Midang Literary Award in the same year.

Writing

From his early works, Moon In-soo well showed his ability for in depth observation and thoughts on nature and objects. His observations and thoughts gave rise to a style of poetry that is speculative and meditative. He writes poetry in a controlled and compressed manner, with rich lyricism in the background, which results in a short form of poetry. Therefore, in a traditional sense, he can be called a lyric poet. Meanwhile, his poetry also includes criticism for materialism and endless sympathy for those cast out from the modern society. Recently, through Dalbuk (달북), he has borrowed from the form of sijo, showing more of his capacity for poetry in laying out his skills in compression and control. In his most recent collection Naneun jigeum igotsi anida (나는 지금 이곳이 아니다 I'm Not Here Now), through the concept of 'cheerfulness', he is exploring the path for positivity on life. On the above collection, poet Ra Heeduk has said in her recommendation that Moon In-soo's poetry is "an earnest prayer from the bottom, and a beautiful dedication to the air above."

Works

Poetry collections
  • Neup-e neup-I jeotdeutsi (늪에 늪이 젖듯이 As the Swamp Becomes Wet in the Swamp), Shimsang, 1986.
  • Sesang modeun gileun jibeuro ganda (세상 모든 길은 집으로 간다 All Roads Lead to Home), Munhak Academy, 1990.
  • Ppul (뿔 The Horn), Minumsa, 1992.
  • Hwaechineun san (홰치는 산 The Fluttering Mountain), Maninsa, 1999.
  • Donggangui nopeun sae (동강의 높은 새 The High Bird of Donggang), Segyesa, 2000.
  • Shh! (쉬!), Munhakdongne, 2006.
  • Baekkob (배꼽 The Bellybutton), Changbi, 2008.
  • Jeokmak sori (적막 소리 The Sound of Silence), Changbi, 2012.
  • Geuribdaneun malui gin pan (그립다는 말의 긴 판 Writing How I Miss You On a Long Panel), Seojeongsihak, 2012.
  • Dalbuk (달북), Si-indongne, 2014.
  • Naneun jigeum igotsi anida (나는 지금 이곳이 아니다 I'm Not Here Now), Changbi, 2015.

Children's poetry books
  • Yeomso ttongeun ttonggeuratda (염소 똥은 똥그랗다 Goat Poop is Round), Munhakdongne, 2010.

Awards
  • 1996 14th Daegu Literary Award
  • 2000 11th Kim Daljin Literary Prize
  • 2003 3rd Nojak Literature Prize
  • 2006 11th Poetry and Poetics Award
  • 2007 10th Korea Catholic Literature Award for Poetry
  • 2007 7th Midang Literary Award
  • 2007 17th Pyeon-un Literature Award
  • 2016 9th Mogwol Literature Prize

Further reading
  • Hwang, Chibok, "Agrarian Imaginations and the Depth of Ecological Thinking", Seojeongsihak, Summer 2000.
  • Lee, Seongwu, "For Strong Lyric Poetry", Seojeongsihak, Summer 2000.
  • Lee, Sungwon, "Poetry of Travel and the Body", Blessing Within the Ruins, Cheonnyeonuisijak, 2004.
  • Lee, Hyewon, "The Beauty of the Shade", Si-an, Spring 2004.
  • Kim, Yujung, "The Form of Ecological Interest in Moon In-soo's Poetry", Literature and Environment, Issue 5, 2006.
  • Gu, Mo-ryong, "The Poetry of the Boundary", In Defence of Poetry, Cheonnyeonuisijak, 2006.
  • Go, Bongjun, "Very Frustrating and Slow", Creation and Criticism, Autumn 2008.
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