That Summer's End by Lee Seong-Bok

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That Summer's End by Lee Seong-Bok

One hundred and six poems of self-reflection and exquisite beauty--an intoxicating blend of Seon Buddhism and French Symbolism from one of South Korea's most celebrated and influential poets

That summer I stood in the centers of storms   That summer my despair burst out into crimson but still I weathered the wind and rain

Mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, the dark, a cat, a train. In the elemental forms and figures of our world, Lee Seong-bok finds repositories for thought, sounding boards against which he can test his reflections. Again and again, in sequences, he probes his subjects--five "Mountain Path" poems, three "River" poems, three commentaries on the I Ching-- not to solicit answers, like Moses impatiently striking the rock for water, but to savor the muted tones that echo in response.

After one ruckus / begins another / The silent forest vibrates // Suffering was always / new suffering

The poems of That Summer's End, though acutely conscious of the self, are free of an inhibiting self-consciousness, speaking directly of youth, love, fear, family, grief, old age, impermanence, and all that's central to life. As enticing as they are profound, Lee Seong-bok's poems have made him not only a poet's poet but a favorite of RM, leader of K-pop superstars BTS, whose support of his work on social media has brought him international attention.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780593804032
ISBN 10 0593804031
Title That Summer's End
Author Lee Seong-Bok
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Random House USA Inc
Year published 2026-08-04
Number of pages 128
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.