Korean Short Stories
Kim Kyung Ju The Outer World 외계 Translated by Jeong Eungwi
Information This work was previously published in New Writing from Korea . Please contact the LTI Korea Library. library@klti.or.kr
About Kim Kyung Ju Kim Kyung Ju’s poems frequently feature a narrator who wanders ceaselessly without stopping in any one place. Like nomads, the narrators of his poems refuse to settle down and enjoy exploring the limits of freedom. In the midst of this fluid journey, they sense the deep essence of life. Kim works from various angles to preserve “the poetic” in a world that turns its back on poetry. Through lively negotiation with other genres of art, he seeks to overcome the crisis that is facing poetry. To that end, he not only writes poetry but is deeply interested in performances and events, such as exhibitions and book concerts. With his experience of active participation in diverse cultural activities, including theater, musicals, and independent films, as well as literature, he is working hard to enable smooth communication between young poets and writers and their readers by organizing literary festivals. LTI Korea eLibrary: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/27
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The Outer World Born without arms, he was a painter drawing nothing but wind. Holding a brush in his mouth, on the canvas he drew winds no one knew. People couldn't discern the shape of his drawings. But his brush would flow far far away and back again, emitting the sound of a child's soft breathing. If a drawing did not succeed, he would climb up a cliff and open his mouth wide for several months. To find a color no one had ever discovered before he would dump a dark volcano deep into his eyes. What he used to draw was the two hands he had left behind in the womb. Copyright 2008 Literature Translation Institute of Korea
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