Poetry. Southeast Asian Studies. Translated from the Korean by Ian Haight and Ho T'ae-young. BORDERLAND ROADS is a selection of poems from the writer Ho Kyun, one of Korea's literary elite in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The book catalogs the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597--the only record of its kind of these events in poetry. "Ho Kyun's poetry is in the tradition of his master, the incomparable Du Fu, while remaining fully his own. Writing nine centuries later, Ho's poetry strikes many parallels--the experiences of war and exile and constant struggle--and his voice is similarly humane. This is rich and enlightening reading"--Sam Hamill.

Author City: KOR

Kyun Ho (1569-1618) was born into a noble family that for generations served Korea and her kings with distinction. Part of Korea's literary elite, Ho wrote the first novel in Korean, Hong Kil-tong, which was recently the subject of a TV dramatization series popular in Asia; his criticism remains relevant in Korean literary studies to this day. Ho's poetry, stylistically unusual in its time, is a poetry of plainspoken witness. Ho lived through the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597, and his poetry is the only record of its kind on these events. An outspoken social reformer, Ho's notoriety as an activist made him an easy target for political intrigues; in 1618, Ho was executed on false charges of treason as part of a political purge.