Poet Nam Jin-woo, 4th Kim Jong-sam Poetry Literature Award

Nam Jin-woo, Poet
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Poet Nam Jin-woo has been selected as the winner of the 4th ‘Kim Jong-sam Poetry Literature Award’.

The Kim Jong-sam Poetry Literature Award Steering Committee announced on the 12th that the winning work chosen at the final judging on the 11th was Kim Jong-sam’s poem ‘I Was Alone in a Dark and Silent House.’ The judges were Kim Myung-in, Professor Emeritus at Korea University (poet), Kim Ki-taek, Professor at Kyung Hee University (poet), and Yoo Sung-ho, Professor at Hanyang University (critic).

Poet Nam Jin-woo debuted in 1981 by winning the Dong-A Ilbo New Spring Literary Contest in the poetry category. In 1983, he also debuted as a critic by winning the JoongAng Ilbo New Spring Literary Contest in the literary criticism category. He has published poetry collections such as Prayer for the Dead, A Lion at Three in the Morning, and The Burning Book, as well as criticism collections including The Language of the Tower of Babel and The Sacred Forest. Novelist Shin Kyung-sook is his wife.

The Kim Jong-sam Poetry Literature Award was established in 2017 by Daejin University and the ‘Kim Jong-sam Poet Memorial Association’ to commemorate poet Kim Jong-sam. The prize money is 10 million won. The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on the 5th of next month.