Kim Kwang-lim

Kim Kwang-lim (; 21 September 1929 – 9 June 2024) was a South Korean early-modern poet.

Biography Kim was born on 21 September 1929, in Wonsan, Kankyōnan Province, Korea, Empire of Japan. Kim graduated from Korea University with a degree in Korean literature and later served as a professor at Jangan College and as the president of the Society of Korean Poets.

Kim died on 9 June 2024, at the age of 94.

Work The early poems of Kim Kwang-lim, included in his poetry collection Sorrow of a Grafted Tree (Sangsimhaneun jeommok) published by Baekjasa in 1959, overflow with the raw pain and suffering endured as a result of the Korean War. After the armistice in 1953, Kim's poems evince a diminished attention to issues pertaining to the war or Korean society in general and a growing interest in describing phenomena, with a focus on visual imagery.

Following his second collection of poems, Bright Shadow of an Image (Simsangui balgeun geurimja ), published by Joongang Culture Company (Joongang munhwasa) in 1962, Kim's artistic endeavor focused on the conception of a perfect, pure image. Kim thus eliminated all abstraction from his works, and sought an aesthetic that would isolate the image and remove all external semantic associations from it.

Works in Korean (Partial) Collections of Poetry Sorrow of a Grafted Tree (Sangsimhaneun jeommok 1959) Bright Shadow of an Image (Simsangui balgeun geurimja 1962) Casting a Net in the Morning (Ojeonui tumang 1965) Fall of the Crane (Hagui churak 1971) Agony (Galdeung 1973) Mid-Winter Stroll (Hangyeourui sanchaek 1976) Bird Made of Language (Eoneoro mandeun sae 1979) The Top Cries when it Stands (Baro seol ttae paengi-neun unda 1982) Heavenly Flower (Cheonsangui kkot 1985) A Stupid Man (Meongcheonghan sanae 1988) In the Desert of Language (Marui samageseo 1989) Straightforward (Gotigotdaero 1993) Midday Lantern (Daenat-ui deungbul 1996) Sick Man (Alh-neun sanae 1998) A Lost Hoop (Notchin gulleongsoe 2001)

Awards Korean Poets' Association Prize (1966) Republic of Korea Literature Prize (1966)