- Overview
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This poetry collection reaffirms the importance of nature as found in our everyday lives.
- Book Intro
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This is Hwang Gyu-gwan's first book of poetry in four years, following his last publication in 2015. Comprising four parts, this collection reveals a different approach by the poet. It is evident that Hwang has not simply succumbed to the natural changes that come with time and age, but rather has engaged in a deep reflection of the passing years and ultimately become more at ease. The poems found in Let's Let This Bus Go are distinctive for their contemporary, vernacular language, which effectively capture the day-to-day snapshots of our lives. As the titles of each section ("All Humans Are Children of the Hoe," "We Must Care for the Yellow Melon Flowers," etc.) clearly show, the poems sing of the rules of nature. The stories are as obvious and yet as refreshingly new, like the wilting and blossoming of flowers; they do not attempt to teach, but they somehow still move our hearts. Hwang does not describe the moments of our lives in flashy, flamboyant terms but rather portrays the most natural of beauties in his poems. By emphasizing the connections between nature and humans, Hwang once again stresses the significance of nature to his readers, who have become used to living apart from Mother Nature. To contemporary society, wherein everyone is always rushed or rushing somewhere, Hwang urges that we must try to find the time to slow down and let this bus go. This poetry collection gently shows us that nature will fill the gap that has been created once we learn to take things slow.
- About the Author
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Hwang Gyu-gwan
The poet Hwang Gyu-gwan was born in Jeonju in 1968. In 1993, he received the Chun Taeil Literary Award, which launched his career as a poet. His poetry collections include Cheolsandong Post Office, Water Goes Its Way, Defeat Is My Strength, Waiting for a Typhoon, Midday Is Approaching, and Let's Let This Bus Go. His prose collections include Living in a World That Has Abandoned Rivers, as well as Kim Su-yeong, the Realist, a portrait and reading of the late poet Kim Su-yeong and his works. In 2020, Hwang received the Baekseok Prize for Literature.
- Award
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1993 Chun Taeil Literary Award
2020 Baekseok Prize for Literature
