Kang Jeong

Kang Jeong (Hangul 강정; born 1971) is a South Korean poet. He was born in Busan, South Korea and studied creative writing at Chugye University for the Arts. He made his literary debut when six of his poems including “Hanggu” (항구 Port) appeared in the Fall 1992 Issue of the journal Modern Poetry World. He was a lead vocalist for Chimso Band and a member of the band THE ASK.

Life

Kang Jeong debuted as a poet in 1992 at the age of 21, the youngest South Korean born in 1970 to have done so. In 1996, he completed his compulsory military service and sent his poems to a publisher, who published them as a collection entitled Cheohyeonggeukjang (처형극장 Execution Theater). The collection was a critical and popular success, making Kang one of the most lauded young poets in the country. In a collection of critical essays on modern Korean poetry, literary critic and writer Ko Jong-seok expresses embarrassment for having discovered Cheohyeonggeukjang nine years after its publication and writes: “To see a true work of aestheticism that risks being ridiculed, to meet a true believer in aestheticism who pleases his god not just by the purity of his faith but by the elegance of his rituals, the South Korean literary world had to wait for Kang Jeong’s Cheohyeonggeukjang to arrive.”  

After Kang Jeong published his first poetry collection at the age of 26, he wrote various genres, including his 2004 collection of interviews, reviews, and essays in cultural criticism, entitled Ruteuwa kodeu (루트와 코드 Route and Code). Following this publication, Kang became better known as an essayist than as a poet. In his essays, as seen in Ruteuwa kodeu and many other works, Kang discusses a range of material from literature and art to film and music with perceptiveness and poetic sentiment. 

Kang formed a literary coterie named Talsedae (“transcending generations”) with writers Kim Yeonsu and Lee Eung Jun, and even dabbled in writing fiction. Kang, along with other South Korean poets born in the seventies who rose to prominence in the 2000s, was identified as a futurist. His reputation as a poet grew as he published a total of six poetry collections: Deulyeojureoni marira hetjiman (들려주려니 말이라 했지만, I’ve Called It a Horse to Tell You about It But,) in 2006; Kis (키스 Kiss) in 2008; Hwal (활 Bow) in 2011; Gwisin (귀신 Ghost) in 2014; and Baekchiui sansu (백치의 산수 The Idiot’s Arithmetic) in 2016. In 2015, he won the 16th Weolgan Contemporary Poetry Award.

Writing

In Kang Jeong’s poems, there is often a tension between obsessive passion and the longing for absolute dispassion. The poet takes on human, animal, or ghostly personas and explores paradoxical themes of life and death, reality and fantasy, and chaos and civilization. These themes are conveyed through imagery such as “a silence bathed in blood” or “the words of Death.”  

Kang’s first poetry collection Cheohyeonggeukjang (처형극장 Execution Theater) portrays a world of death and depravity, while his second collection Deulyeojureoni marira hetjiman (들려주려니 말이라 했지만, I’ve Called It a Horse to Tell You about It But,) is filled with a sense of anticipation for new life. His third collection Kis (키스 Kiss) shows the poet maturing in his writing style, and his next work Hwal (활 Bow) compares language to an arrow aimed towards the silent world. Gwisin (귀신 Ghost) and Baekchiui sansu (백치의 산수 The Idiot’s Arithmetic) are notable for their dynamic and unrestrained energy. The poet Lee Jun-kyu has described Kang as “one who is cursed and sorrowful, who spits blood and cries and can’t help but love.” 

Works

Poetry Collections

1. 『처형극장』(문학과지성사, 1996)

Execution Theatre. Moonji, 1996.

2. 『들려주려니 말이라 했지만,』(문학동네, 2006)

I’ve Called It a Horse to Tell You about It But,. Munhakdongne, 2006.

3. 『키스』(문학과지성사, 2008)

Kiss. Moonji, 2008.

4. 『활』(문예중앙, 2011)

Bow. Munye Joongang, 2011.

5. 『귀신』(문학동네, 2014)

Ghost. Munhakdongne, 2014.

6. 『백치의 산수』(민음사, 2016)

The Idiot’s Arithmetic. Minumsa, 2016. 

Essay Collections

1. 『루트와 코드』(샘터사, 2004)

Route and Code. Samtoh, 2004.

2. 『나쁜 취향』(랜덤하우스코리아, 2006)

Bad Taste. Random House Korea, 2006.

3. 『콤마, 씨』(문학동네, 2012)

Comma, Seed. Munhakdongne, 2012. 

Awards

2015: 16th Weolgan Contemporary Poetry Award

Further Reading

1. 송승환, ｢카메라의 언어와 인간의 밖｣, 『문학과사회』 봄호, 2009.

Song, Seung-hwan. “The Language of Cameras and What’s Outside People.” Literature and Society, Spring 2009 Issue.

2. 김영희, ｢몸의 말, 말의 춤｣, 『문학과사회』 봄호, 2012.

Kim, Yeong-hui. “Language of the Body, Dance of Language.” Literature and Society, Spring 2012 Issue.  

External Links

1. 강정 – 시인(아레나 인터뷰)

“Interview with Poet Kang Jeong.” Arenna Homme+. Last modified November 1, 2014.

http://navercast.naver.com/magazine_contents.nhn?rid=1636&contents_id=74726.

2. [백(白)형제의 문인보](9) 시인 강정

“Writer Bios of the White Brothers: Poet Kang Jeong.” Kyunghyang Shinmun. Last modified May 23, 2014.

http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201405232011315&code=960100.