Internationally acclaimed South Korean poet Kim Kyung Ju will come to Valley Bar next Tuesday to share his poetry as a part of his first-ever U.S. tour. Kim will read alongside his translator Jake Levine, an Arizona poet whom he met in Korea.
The pair will read from Kim’s 2006 capstone work, “I Am a Season that Does Not Exist in the World,” which deals with concepts such as existentialism, impending ecological disasters and feeling outside of space and time. The duo is currently on a reading tour through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
At a typical foreign-language reading, a poem would be read in its original language and then in English afterward. Instead, Kim and Levine will do a bilingual reading, both reading the same poem in Korean and English simultaneously.
“It’s kind of boring for people to listen to a language they don’t understand for long periods of time,” Levine said.
He said this method makes the reading more engaging.
“I don’t think there’s many people doing what we’re doing,” Levine said. “Because we’re doing it bilingual, like a dialogue, I think it’s more exciting for people to listen to. So far the reaction has been very positive.”
Kim’s influence isn’t just on his audience. Levine said he believes translating Kim’s work has affected his own poetry.
“When you’re translating someone’s work, their work affects your work, in a way,” Levine said. “Their voice ends up coming out in yours. You can hear echoes.”
Kim will be the first international poet to be hosted by Four Chambers Press, the local literary magazine presenting the event. A mutual friend introduced Levine to Jake Friedman, executive director of Four Chambers.
“We don’t get the chance to engage with international poetry much because it’s in a different language, so when something is making its way to English and to be able to have that poet actually come to listen to us, is a very rare and special opportunity,” Friedman said.
Despite being written in a country half a world away, Friedman said he believes Phoenix residents will connect with Kim’s poetry.
“The opportunity is heightened by Phoenix’s position in immigration issues and different cultures,” he said. “I know that South Korea is a culture especially foregrounded in the discussion.”
The Feb. 2 event is restricted to attendees age 21 or older and free to the public at Valley Bar. More information about the event can be found at the Four Chambers website or on the Facebook event page.
Contact the reporter at Kara.Carlson@asu.edu
