Shin, Kyung-rim

Shin, Gyeong-lim is a realist poet best known for his depiction of rural devastation. He made his literary debut in the mid-1950s, but for many years thereafter, he worked as a teacher, farmer and peddler while traveling around the country. Obscured by the glitter of the rapidly developing cities are the impoverished countryside and the outskirts of the cities where suffering and despair, anger and resignation as well as the unconquerable will to life define the lives of the inhabitants. His firsthand experiences with these conditions of life he encountered during these travels informed his poetic world and became the source of much admired realism in Peasants’ Dance, which earned the poet his first critical acclaim. In his poetry, Shin often merges the form of travel writing with that of folk songs to create a unique style that conveys the “richness of life, the mystery of folklore, the heartbeat of people and the smell of earth and sweat.” Shin Kyeong-nim has been honored with the Manhae Literature Prize, Korean Literature Award, Isan Literary Award and Danjae Literature Prize.