Jin Eun-young


Jin Eun-young is a South Korean poet and philosopher. She has been praised by the poet Choi Seung-ja, who said "I've finally found a poet whom I can call my true successor."

Life

Jin Eun-young was born in Daejeon, South Korea in 1970. She received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in philosophy at Ewha Womans' University. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on Nichewa chaiui cheorak. She made her literary debut when "Keodaran changoga itneun jip" and three of her other poems were published in the 2000 Spring issue of Literature and Society. She has three poetry collections published to date: Ilgop gaeui daneoro dwen sajeon, Urineun maeilmaeil, and Humcheoganeun norae . As a member of Suyu Neomeo, a research community for humanities scholars in South Korea, Jin wrote two philosophy books, namely, Sunsuiseongbipan, iseongeul beopjeonge seuda and Niche, yeongweonhwegiwa chaieui cheolhak . In 2008, her article "Gamgakjeogin geosui bunbae: 2000 nyeondae sie daehayeo" was published. Referring to Rancière in discussing the relationship between poetry and politics, the article caused a stir in the South Korean literary scene. Jin cited the article years later in her book Munhagui atopos, which was published in 2014. She has been awarded a number of accolades including the Hyundae Literary Award, Cheon Sang-byeong Poetry Prize, and Daesan Literary Award. She currently teaches at the Korea Counseling Graduate University.

Writing

Jin Eun-young is a poet who is adept at portraying familiar and mundane subjects with a new sensibility. As an artist-cum-philosopher, she recognizes both the romantic and realistic sides of the two professions and expresses them artistically. Her poems tend to be short because she prefers using words simply and sparingly to create a powerful sensory experience, rather than being overly concerned with sending readers a certain message.
Literary critic Lee Gwang-ho remarked on Jin's poetry that it "defies the sentimental conformity of poems written in the 1990s, and is delivered in the hushed whisper and cracking voice of poetic expression that has not yet been institutionalized," referring to how her poetry flies in the face of contemporary sensibilities. She often creates synesthetic metaphors that cannot fall under any one of the five senses. Her metaphors don't try to teach readers the essence of anything; rather, they allow readers to be seized by a curious, fleeting sensation. This is why her poems have been noted for their playful innocence, boundless imagination, and power of uninhibited thought.
While these characteristics are found throughout her work, her third poetry collection Humcheoganeun norae includes a significant number of poems that combine sociological imagination with political poetry. Even before writing this collection, Jin endeavored to find ways to discuss social issues without writing poems that stir up public agitation with blunt criticisms of society. Such efforts resulted in Humcheoganeun norae. In her work, Jin depicts the scars and contradictions of the world through unconventional metaphors.

Works

Poetry collections

  • 《일곱 개의 단어로 된 사전》
  • 《우리는 매일매일》
  • 《훔쳐가는 노래》

Philosophy books

  • 《순수이성비판, 이성을 법정에 세우다》
  • 《니체, 영원회귀와 차이의 철학》

Literary theory

<문학의 아토포스>

Works in translation

Source:
  • "Long Finger Poem" in Poetry April 2007
  • Des flocons de neige rouge
  • séoul/port-au-prince: revue bilingue

Excerpts

Spring Has Come
A guy spills a can of green paint.
I don't have red.
I'll have to chop off my wrist.
- Translated by Jeon Seung-hee
I Am
Overcooked spinach, a wet lollipop thrown away, I am a house
rolled by a tapeworm, broken scissors, a gas station selling fake gas,
fish scales scattered across a chopping board, a compass that never
stops spinning, I am a thief who steals rotten fruits, sleep that is long
in coming, a wet hand thrust into a flour sack, the broken crutch of
a one-legged man, the mouth of a yellow balloon, a day when lips
touched, so swollen it split
- Translated by Chung Eun-Gwi and Brother Anthony of Taizé

Awards