Farmers' Dance

Shin Kyong-Nim's first volume of poems, Farmers' Dance (Nong-mu), marked a major new step in the development of modern Korean poetry when it was published in 1973. The life of Korea's oppressed rural masses had never before been highlighted in such a manner. For years, the poet had shared that life as a laborer and salesman, and the poems reflect a deep identification with classes and situations that were normally not considered suitable subjects for poetry. This volume offers a full translation of the poems of the expanded 1975 edition, making available in English for the first time one of the most influential works of modern Korean poetry.

Brother Anthony (An Sonjae) was born in England in 1942. After studying at Oxford he joined the Community of Taize in France in 1969. He went to Korea in 1980 and has been professor in the English Department of Sogang University, Seoul, since 1985. His publications include translations of works by Ku Sang, Kim Kwang-kyu, and Yi Mun-yol, and he has received numerous literary awards.