This Side of Time by Ko Un and translated by Clare You

This is poetry from Korea, Republic of.

This Side of Time by Ko Un translated by Clare You is published by White Pine Press. This is a Book originally written in Korean. This was published in 2012.0 and has the ISBN of 9.78193521032E12.

This Side of Time, by Ko Un and translated by Clare You, carries a title that feels reflective rather than monumental. Time is not an abstraction far away; the speaker stands on one side of it, close enough to feel its edge. Ko Un’s Korean poetry often moves between brief daily observation and historical or spiritual breadth, and this book seems to belong to that patient zone of witness. I would read it for the way a single moment can open into a long human continuum. Clare You’s translation likely favors clarity, allowing the poems to move without heavy ornament. This is a good title for readers who want meditative poetry that remains close to life: aging, memory, impermanence, and the feeling of standing in the present while the past keeps breathing nearby.

If you’d like to see international poetry continue and gain traction, consider requesting this work from your local library, or purchasing it from places like Open Books (a poetry only bookstore), Asterism Books (an independent press distributor), or bookshop.org to connect you with your local bookstores.

Check out more of the always in-progress translated poetry index here.