Hong Yun-Suk was considered one of the leading Korean female poets of her generation. She is also known by her pen name YeoSa.
Life
Although born in North Korea, Hong Yun-Suk has lived in Seoul most of her life. Upon graduating from DongDuk Girls’ School and , she worked as a teacher for a few years before beginning her studies at the at Seoul National University. She was an active member of the Theater Club at the college, acted as the first secretary, and played many roles on stage as well as writing plays.She was unable to finish her education, however, due to the outbreak of the Korean War. Hong Yunsuk later served as president of Hangug-yeolyu-munhag-inhoe and Hangugsi-inhyeobhoe. Her literary and political foundations were established during this period of post WWII and pre-Korean War. Throughout her life, she worked as a teacher, reporter, and a lecturer at Sangmyung Women’s College.
Work
Hong Yun-Suk first published a poem “Fall” in Literary Times in 1947. In the same time frame, her play was selected in the prestigious “New Spring Literary Debut” by . Much of her earlier work from this period was lost during the Korean War. Her first poetry book, “YeoSa ShiJip,” was published in 1962. Since then she has published 17 volumes of original poetry as well as numerous collections of essays, plays, and poetic plays. She has received many awards and is a member of . Her continued literary endeavors were most recently recognized in 2012 when she received the . Her contemporary poets include Ku Sang, Ko Un, and . According to the specialist on Korean poetry, Brother Anthony, "Her vision of life is deeply affected by the suffering brought by the Korean War and the lasting division of Korea. Her poetic universe is often dark and inclined to pessimism. Perhaps the fact that she is unable to visit her native region in the North helps to explain the many images of life as an unending journey found in her work. The themes of individual solitude and of the emptiness of modern life are expressed in many poems. When she tackles more public themes, the longing for the reunification of Korea dominates her concerns."
Some of her translated poems are in Modern Korean Poetry, selected and translated with an introduction by Jaihiun J. Kim; Asian Humanities Press: Fremont, California, 1994.
Some of her translated poems can be seen at: http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/Hongys.htm.
