Park In-hwan

Park In-hwan (August 15, 1926 – March 20, 1956) was a Korean poet and author.

Life

Park In-hwan was born in Inje, Gangwon-do, Korea during the period of Japanese rule. He graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1945 and entered Pyeongyang Medical School.(평양의전 平壤醫專). Once Korea was liberated from Japanese rule, he quit school and started a small bookstore named 'Mariseosa' in Jongno, Seoul. Park had been interested in poetry ever since his early teens and in 1946 published his first poem entitled "Street" (거리) in the Kukje Shinmun Newspaper. In 1949, he co-authored a poetry book titled 'New city and unison of citizens,' together with Kim Gyeong-rin (김경린 金璟麟) and Kim Su-yeong (김수영 金洙暎).

Park's first work began in reaction to the old school techniques, such as those of the "Blue Deer" (Cheongnok), a school of sentimentalism that celebrated the affinity between nature and man. Though there are no extant copies of his first major literary work, the coterie journal New Poetics (Sinsiron), which he published with fellow poets such as Kim Gyeongrim, Yang Byeongsik, Kim Suyeong, Lim Hogwon, and Kim Byeonguk. The general tone of the journal promoted the mission of the poet to observe and then re-construct the contemporary world with his words. His anthology, A New City and a Chorus of Citizens (Saeroun dosi wa simindeurui hapchang), further rejected the traditional sentimentalism of previous poets. The anthology, published in conjunction with Kim Gyeongrin and Kim Suyeong, initiated a revolutionary new school of literature that sought to create a new language through which to depict the burgeoning reality of urbanization. His work during the Korean War marked a significant shift in the tone of his work. As witness to the death and despair that was wreaked by the fighting, Park published poems such as "Signal Flare" (Sinhotan), "Going Home" (Gohyange gaseo), and "Problem" (Munjedeoneun geot), which expressed a profound sense of sorrow in the face of bloodshed, a sorrow that is not localized but rather a fundamental characteristic of the human condition. ' New Poetic Theory (1948) Chorus of the New City and Citizens (1955) Park In-hwan Poetry Collection'' (박인환선시집 朴寅煥選詩集, 1955) A Rocking Horse and a Lady (1976) The Collected Works of Park In-hwan (1986)