First Edition: Sold Out
Second Edition: Comming Soon

Editorial Review

This anthology distills the poetic achievements of three volumes published over thirteen years, beginning with Poetry Diary (2012), followed by Golden Rose (2021) and That Day, That Flower (2024). It captures not only the evolution of her work but also the essence of her poetic world. Park’s poems, pioneering the distinctive genre of the “Poetry Diary,” are marked by refined language that conveys emotions rooted in personal experience.

They also candidly reflect the turbulence of modern Korean history through her personal journey from North to South in search of freedom. In Kim Seon-hyang’s poetry, moment and eternity intersect, while the fragrance of life and art lingers long after reading. Her lyrical expressions are simple, precise, and carefully crafted—evidence of a lifelong devotion to transforming hardship into literary form.

Within these works, both pain and joy are preserved as vivid records. She found solace amid life’s trials by memorizing or composing poetry whenever confronted with the extremes of existence. Her deep yearning for poetry was not a pastime but an indelible part of his being.

If asked, “Why do you write poetry?” her answer would be simple: “Because that is who I am.”

Her special devotion to his late mother, as well as her enduring love for her husband, children, and grandchildren, borders on the spiritual. What is remarkable is that while each poem bears the intimacy of personal confession, collectively they form a grand narrative of an unsettled era. Her vision, able to embrace both the fleeting and the eternal, reflects the sensibility of a poet and the perspective of a historian.

Editorial Review

And in this book you will find a unique perspective on an aspect of historical magnitude that has shaped the identity of modern Korea: the inter-Korean relationship between the communist North and the democratic South, a divided nation. Several poems provide the poet’s personal, intimate reflections on her own involvement in behind-the-scenes interactions and front-and-center transactions that have shaped the Korean identity since the country’s liberation: the tragic Korean War, the historic inter-Korean summits, and the heartache of the meetings of long separated Korean families—the poet herself having been born in the North and fled to the South during the war. Unlike other narrative accounts on these events, from the poet’s privileged position and active involvement, her works provide reflections on moments of courage and hope, success and loss, joy and despair in the nation’s history that only she can offer.

Author Biography

김선향 | Sun Hyang Kim

Sun Hyang Kim, an accomplished poet, scholar, and humanitarian, has long bridged the worlds of literature, education, and public service. A graduate of Ewha Girl’s High School, she received her B.A. in English Literature from Ewha Womans University and her M.A. in English Literature from Fairleigh Dickinson University in the United States. In recognition of her lifelong contributions to the arts and letters, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from Averett University, USA.

Kim’s academic career is distinguished by her tenure as Lecturer at Ewha Womans University, Professor at Kyunghee University, and Professor of English Literature at Kyungnam University. Beyond academia, she played a pivotal role in humanitarian leadership, serving as Vice President and later Acting President of the Korean Red Cross, and continues her involvement as Adviser to its Honors Club. She also held the position of Chairperson at the University of North Korean Studies, reflecting her deep commitment to scholarship, peace, and social service.

Her literary career spans both creative and critical achievements. As a poet, she has published several collections, including Verse Diary, 1998–2012 (2012), Golden Roses – Verse Diary 2 (2021), and most recently The Day, The Flower – Verse Diary 3 (2024). Her earlier autobiographical sketches, Broken Moon (1980), remain a touchstone of her reflective prose. In recognition of her poetic voice, she received the Special Award of the Kim Daljin Literary Prize in 2021.

In parallel with her original works, Kim is a noted translator and scholar of English Renaissance poetry, particularly John Donne. Her publications include Five Metaphysical Poets of the 17th Century (1996), The Songs and Sonnets of John Donne (1998), Divine Poems of John Donne (2001), Elegies of John Donne (2005), and Selected Poems of John Donne (2016).

Her poetry collection So Long, first published by Mundus Artium Press, was met with such acclaim that it sold out in record time upon its initial release. The present second edition reaffirms her place as one of the most resonant poetic voices of her generation.