Ko Un, the preeminent Korean poet of the twentieth century, embraces Buddhism with the versatility of a master Taoist sage. A beloved cultural figure who has helped shape contemporary Korean literature, Ko Un is also a novelist, literary critic, ex-monk, former dissident, and four-time political prisoner. His verse—vivid, unsettling, down-to-earth, and deeply moving—ranges from the short lyric to the vast epic and draws from a poetic reservoir filled with memories and experiences ranging over seventy years of South Korea's tumultuous history from the Japanese occupation to the Korean war to democracy. This collection, an essential sampling of his poems from the last decade of the twentieth century, offers in deft translation, as lively and demotic as the original, the off-beat humor, mystery, and mythic power of his work for a wide audience of English-speaking readers. It showcases the work of a man whom Allen Ginsberg has called "a magnificent poet, a combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate political libertarian, and naturalist historian," who Gary Snyder has said is "a real-world poet!" who "outfoxes the Old Masters and the young poets both," and who Lawrence Ferlinghetti has described as "no doubt the greatest living Korean Zen poet today."

The Three Way Tavern: Selected Poems

Literature & Fiction

Ko, Un

History & Criticism

University of California Press

Ko Un, the preeminent Korean poet of the twentieth century, embraces Buddhism with the versatility of a master Taoist sage. A beloved cultural figure who has helped shape contemporary Korean literature, Ko Un is also a novelist, literary critic, ex-monk, former dissident, and four-time political prisoner. His verse―vivid, unsettling, down-to-earth, and deeply moving―ranges from the short lyric to the vast epic and draws from a poetic reservoir filled with memories and experiences ranging over seventy years of South Korea's tumultuous history from the Japanese occupation to the Korean war to democracy. This collection, an essential sampling of his poems from the last decade of the twentieth century, offers in deft translation, as lively and demotic as the original, the off-beat humor, mystery, and mythic power of his work for a wide audience of English-speaking readers. It showcases the work of a man whom Allen Ginsberg has called "a magnificent poet, a combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate political libertarian, and naturalist historian," who Gary Snyder has said is "a real-world poet!" who "outfoxes the Old Masters and the young poets both," and who Lawrence Ferlinghetti has described as "no doubt the greatest living Korean Zen poet today."

Poetry. Asian Studies. "Ko Un is a magnificent poet, combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate politcal libertarian, and naturalist historian. This little book of Son (Zen) poems gives a glimpse of the severe humorous discipline beneath the prolific variety of his forms & subjects. These excellent translations are models useful to inspire American Contemplative poets" -- Allen Ginsberg. "A big mistake! // Much better / to have turned back at the front gate." ("A Temple's Main Hall") "Ko Un's poems live amid the democracy of all being, looking directly and with great pleasure at this very moment's bright-leaping essence" -- Jane Hirshfield."Not an ounce of Zen posturing here!" -- Norman Fischer. Translated from the Korean by Young-Moo Kim and Brother Anthony.

Beyond Self: 108 Korean Zen Poems

Ginsberg, Alan

Poetry

Parallax Pr

Ten Thousand Lives: Maninbo, Volumes 21–25

Green Integer

A 1991 bestseller in South Korea, where it was serialized in that country's largest newspaper, Little Pilgrim is a tale of adventure and self-discovery in the tradition of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Based on the Gandavyuha, one of Buddhism's deepest and most challenging scriptures, Ko Un's Little Pilgrim relates the heroic journey of Sudhana, who sets out to discover what is truth. Throughout 20 years of fantastic travels, Sudhana encounters teachers that are human, animal, and spirit as he navigates mountain vistas, lush valleys, and remote villages. Drawing from his own 20-year journey, as well as first-hand experiences with war and monastic life, Ko Un infuses his book with reflections and memories, creating fascinating characters and a vibrant story. The pinnacle of Ko Un's career as a writer and as a man in search of truth, as well as the first of Ko Un's works of fiction to be translated into English, Little Pilgrim is a poignant voyage that resonates on many levels. "A man of great insight." —Thich Nhat Hanh

Little Pilgrim: A Novel

Children's Books

Parallax Press

“Bodhisattva of Korean poetry, exuberant, demotic, abundant, obsessed with poetic creation . . . Ko Un is a magnificent poet, combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate political libertarian, and naturalist historian.”—Allen Ginsberg"Korea's greatest living Zen poet."—Lawrence Ferlinghetti     Flowers of a Moment is a treasure trove of more than 180 brief poems by a major world poet at the apex of his career. A four-time Nobel Prize nominee,Ko Un grew up in Korea during the Japanese occupation. During the Korean War, he was conscripted by the People's Army. In 1952, he became a Buddhist and lived a monastic life for ten years.    For his activism confronting South Korea's dictatorial military government, he was imprisoned and tortured. He has published more than one hundred volumes of poetry, essays, fiction, drama, and translations of Chinese poetry. At sunset a wish to become a wolf beneath a fat full moon

Flowers of a Moment (Lannan Translations Selection Series)

BOA Editions, Ltd.

“Bodhisattva of Korean poetry, exuberant, demotic, abundant, obsessed with poetic creation . . . Ko Un is a magnificent poet, combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate political libertarian, and naturalist historian.”—Allen Ginsberg "Korea's greatest living Zen poet."—Lawrence Ferlinghetti Flowers of a Moment is a treasure trove of more than 180 brief poems by a major world poet at the apex of his career. A four-time Nobel Prize nominee,Ko Un grew up in Korea during the Japanese occupation. During the Korean War, he was conscripted by the People's Army. In 1952, he became a Buddhist and lived a monastic life for ten years. For his activism confronting South Korea's dictatorial military government, he was imprisoned and tortured. He has published more than one hundred volumes of poetry, essays, fiction, drama, and translations of Chinese poetry. 
 At sunset a wish to become a wolf beneath a fat full moon

Recognized as the greatest living Korean poet, Ko Un has produced a vast amount of poetry over the years, including the noted collection Ten Thousand Lives, previously published by Green Integer. This new volume selects work from Ko Un’s entire career to date.

Songs for Tomorrow: Poems 1960-2002 (Green Integer)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ko, Un. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ko, Un

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ko, Un. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Three Way Tavern: Selected Poems

The Three Way Tavern: Selected Poems

Beyond Self: 108 Korean Zen Poems

Ten Thousand Lives: Maninbo, Volumes 21–25

Little Pilgrim: A Novel

Flowers of a Moment (Lannan Translations Selection Series)

Flowers of a Moment (Lannan Translations Selection Series)

Songs for Tomorrow: Poems 1960-2002 (Green Integer)