Turning Point in Poetry Community

This week’s top ten best selling poetry books of the Kyobo Book Center include “Who is the Person Sleeping inside by Body?” by Kim Seon-woo, 36, and “I Have a Season that Does not Exist in This World,” by Kim Gyeong-ju, 32. “Who is this person…,” which has sold over 4,000 copies in two months, is now in its fourth reprint. “I Have a Season…,” which has sold over 10,000 copies since it was published in July 2006, has enjoyed unwavering popularity.

The two books stand out among the remainder of the poetry top ten. It has been an established theory that seven out of the top ten poetry books are compilation poetry books or poetry books by star poets. Although the two Kims are recognized as rising stars among critics, they do not have high public recognition. Thus, it’s a surprise that they have achieved considerable success in the market.

They are not the only young poets enjoying soaring popularity. “The Private Life of the Wind,” by Lee Byeong-ryul, 39, published in November 2006, has sold more than 8,000 copies, and has gone through five printings. “I Have to Walk through the Wind,” by Shin Yong-mok, 33, has gone through five printings and has even been used in advertising slogans. Shin’s latest poetry book, “The Wind’s One Millionth Molar” has also sold 2,000 copies in a month.

These days even novels are hard to sell more than 10,000 copies due to fierce competition among literary works. Thus, it is surprising to see the success of these young poets who have to publish their works in the market where most poetry books sell less than 2,000 copies. So what is the secret of their success?

Critic Shin Hyeong-cheol called it “plus alpha.” “Those books all have fulfilled the general requirements demanded of poems. Plus, they have commonly added something extra,” Shin said. “A good response in the market means that the book has a wide readership. In fact, all age groups like the works of young poets. In other words, their books possess the characteristics of classic poets, which have strong appeal to a wide range of readers,” Shin added. For instance, Kim Seon-woo’s works have a feminine quality that appeals to women of all ages, whereas Kim Gyeong-ju’s works are centered on the strong will of a person who is determined to fight against the world. Therefore, the works of the young writers, who experiment to avoid clichés, are seen as a combination of familiar styles and new styles.

“Although the works of popular young poets make readers comfortable with the use of lyrical styles, each of them has also modified the conventional styles in order to create a refreshing and unique style,” critic Gwon Hyeong-ung said. In short, they have the content that readers generally expect, but exceed the expectations of readers with a refreshing approach. For example, Shin Yong-mok’s works, which are rich with the elements of conventional romantic poems, reveal his beliefs in life, and Lee Byeong-ryul’s works, which explore the delicate sensitivities of love and separation, is fused with his unique imagination. “The new trend where poetry books gain sympathy from readers without having to rely on star power is encouraging. Given that poetry, which has been thought to have distanced itself from readers, has recently enjoyed such popularity, it could be a major turning point for the poetry community,” Gwon said.