Poet Son Taeksu Awarded the 2nd Jo Taeil Literary Prize

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Poet Son Taeksu (photo) has been selected as the recipient of the 2nd Jo Taeil Literary Award.

The Jo Taeil Poet Memorial Project Association announced on the 7th that among 132 poetry collections submitted through open call and recommendations, poet Son Taeksu, who published Is the Red Light Still There?, was selected as the winner of the 2nd Jo Taeil Literary Award. The preliminary judging panel included poets Yeom Changkwon, Lee Daehum, and Kim Jungil, while the final judging panel consisted of poets Kim Heesoo, Kim Jinkyung, and Noh Cheol. The judging committee commented, "The work possesses lyricism that strikes the reader’s heart. It does not indulge in intellectual playfulness that either exaggerates one’s wounds or constructs wounds through linguistic artifice. This poetry collection moves beyond playfulness and chatter, so anyone who reads it feels the language striking their heart sharply. It is a record of an individual living in an era, yet it also shows dignity as a lyrical poem that never ceases to resist and confront society."

In his acceptance speech, poet Son Taeksu said, "As a son of the earth and a poet of the 'land,' I learned the uprightness and resilience of bamboo from the poetry of the late Jo Taeil, who returned to the earth. A poem that endlessly reflects on the boundaries of institutional language carelessly drawn on the earth and makes them ripple in blue! Jo Taeil once described the silence of the earth as 'living silence' in one of his poems. As the poet said, the silence of the poet who returned as a single seed of grass still endlessly lives and moves. I am also one who returns toward that living silence of the earth." He added, "When I left my hometown, the icon of the 'Gwangju Express' I took was a turtle. At this time, when the reckless rush of speed that sickens the world and spirit around us approaches precariously, I intend to make the cracks on my back a form of oracle bone script to be detoxified throughout my life. I bow my head to the judges who supported this slow step, the memorial project association officials, and the people of Gokseong who love poetry."

Poet Son Taeksu will receive a plaque, a prize money of 20 million KRW, and a special award.

Son Taeksu was born in 1970 in Gangjaeng-ri, Damyang-gun, and began his literary career in 1998 after winning the New Year's Literary Contests of the Korea Daily (poetry) and the International Newspaper (children’s poetry). He has published poetry collections such as Rhetoric of Trees, Magnolia Tram, and The Wandering Dust Shines, as well as a children’s poetry collection The Child Who Gets Distracted. He has received the 22nd Shin Dongyeop Literary Award, the 3rd Aeji Literary Award, the 2007 Today’s Young Artist Award, the 3rd Imhwa Literary and Arts Award, and the 13th Nojak Literary Award. He currently serves as the director of the Nojak Hongsayang Literature Museum.

The award ceremony for the 2nd Jo Taeil Literary Award will be held at 3 p.m. on the 12th at the Gokseong Jo Taeil Poetry Literature Memorial Hall. Along with the ceremony, various events including a poetry and painting exhibition commemorating the 21st anniversary of poet Jo Taeil’s passing (solar calendar September 7) under the theme When Closing Eyes with a Burning Heart will take place. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the number of attendees will be limited to under 50, and the event scale will be reduced while adhering to the government’s phased social distancing guidelines.