Full 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.
Contents
Preface Poem
1. Barren Earth A New Arirang for the North
Green Leaves, Falling
Blizzard
Bloody Fall
A Maiden's Window
Song of the Fire Swallows
Chajabi (The Hitchhiker)
Ugly, White Snow
The Mill on the Mountain
New Seongcheon Station
2. Exhausted Heart
Song of the Red People
Roundabout Blues
Toads
No Ingredients Blues
Idol
50 Years of Red
Five Thieves Blues
Stepmother
The Song of Kim Juseok
Heartsick
Red Locomotive
Night at the Military Camp
Affliction in the Red House
3. Longing for You, My Love
One Heart
Long, Long Winter Nights
Ah! KBS Educational Channel
My Love
How Much I Love You
Please Deliver Just This
Blow, South Wind
This Lonely Life
I Awaited You, My Love
4. Attached to a Life
Youth is a Forking Road
O Azaleas
Song of Life
Pine Trees
Thoughts of Mother
Woman of Pure Love
Oak Tree in Winter
A Man
Your Lover
5. Wishes
Bandi (Firefly)
Landscape White with Snow
Why I Love Wildflowers
Me for Myself
The Whistling Man
Today
The World Where People Live
Open-minded Life
Sow Love, Reap Love
A Dream
Afterword: Bandi's Dream - Do Hee-yun
