Cheon Sang-byeong
South Korean writer (1930–1993)
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Cheon Sang-byeong (Korean: 천상병; January 29, 1930 – April 28, 1993) was a South Korean writer.[1]
Cheon Sang-byeong | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1930 Japan |
| Died | April 28, 1993 (aged 63) |
| Language | Korean |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Citizenship | South Korean |
| Alma mater | Seoul National University |
Life
Cheon Sang-byeong was born in the Empire of Japan on January 29, 1930. He immigrated to Masan, Korea in 1945, after Korea was liberated from Japan.[2] It was then that the 15-year-old Cheon began writing poems in the language of his ancestry. He published his first poem "River Water" while still in school.[3] Cheon went to Seoul National University for a short period.[4] In 1967 he was implicated in the East Berlin Spy Incident and jailed for six months during which he was tortured.[5] This experience scarred Cheon who became impotent and alcoholic. Found unconscious on the street Cheon was institutionalized and his friends, believing him to be dead, published a posthumous book of his poetry.[6]
Cheon, however recovered and began a prolific career.
Work
Cheon's poetry was written in a condensed style, and explored themes of existentialism. His most famous poem "Return to Heaven" (Gwicheon), speaks of a man's encounter with the afterlife and his journey from life to death, as a passing from one world to another: "I am returning to heaven, the day on which my sojourn to this beautiful world ends. Go and say it was beautiful".[7]
Works in translation
- Rumanian: L ÎNTOARCEREA ÎN CER detail (천상병 시선집)
- Serbian: ПОВРАТАК НА НЕЪО detail (천상병 시선집 <귀천>)
- Spanish: Regreso al cielo detail (귀천)
- Turkish: Gőğe dőnüş detail (귀천)
- French: Retour au ciel detail (천상병시선-귀천)
Works in Korean (Partial)
- Bird (1971)
- At the Roadside Inn (1979)
- If Even the Journey to Afterlife Costs Money (1987)
- I'm Going Back to Heaven (1993)
- Collected Works of Cheon Sang-byeong (1996)