The Red Years

Description

Though North Korea holds the attention of the world, it is still rare for us to hear North Korean voices, beyond those few who have escaped. Known only by his pen name, the poet and author Bandi stands as one of the most distinctive and original dissident writers to emerge from the country, and his work is all the more striking for the fact that he continues to reside in North Korea, writing in secret, with his work smuggled out of the country by supporters and relatives. The Red Years represents the first collection of Bandi’s poetry to be made available in English. As he did in his first work The Accusation, Bandi here gives us a rare glimpse into everyday life and survival in North Korea. Singularly poignant and evocative, The Red Years stands as a testament to the power of the human spirit to endure and resist even the most repressive of regimes. Cover Half Title About the Author About the Translator Title Page Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Preface Poem Introduction 1. Barren Earth A New Arirang for the North Green Leaves, Falling Blizzard Bloody Fall Virgin Window Song of the Fire Swallows Chajabi (The Hitchhiker) O You Ugly, White Snow The Mill on the Mountain New Seongcheon Station 2. Exhausted Heart Song of the Red People Song of the Circlers Toads Not a Song About Our Backgrounds Idol 50 Red Years The Song of the Five Thieves Stepmother Tin Kim’s “Song” Hate-red Red Locomotive Night at the Military Camp Affliction in the Red House 3. Longing for You, My Love Single-minded Devotion Long, Long Winter Nights Ah! KBS Social Education Channel My Love I Love You So Much Please Take this One Message Blow, South Wind Life with Loneliness I Awaited You, My Love 4. Attached to a Life Youth is a Forking Road O Azaleas Song of Life Pine Tree Thoughts of Mother Woman of Pure Love Oak Tree in Winter A Man Your Love 5. Wishes Bandi (Firefly) Landscape White with Snow Why I Love Wildflowers Me Alone The Whistling Man Today Of the World Where People Live Live with an Open Heart Sow Love, Reap Love A Dream Afterword Notes