The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Korean Poetry

This groundbreaking anthology, edited by the veteran scholar who founded the field of Korean literature in the West, offers a representative selection from the four major genres of native Korean poetry: the Silla songs known as "hyangga," Koryo songs, "sijo," and kasa. The performance of oral songs was central to the religious life of ancient Koreans, and their passion for song and poetry is as evident in these texts today as it was to the earliest Chinese observers. Therefore, in addition to such classics as the "Songs of Flying Dragons," the great eulogy-cycle compiled from 1445 to 1447, the volume also includes folk songs and shamanist narrative songs. Within each genre works are arranged chronologically so that the reader can trace artistic developments over time. The translations, many commissioned especially for this volume, have been prepared by distinguished scholars and literary translators and are fully annotated, making them ideal for use in the classroom.

Peter H. Lee is professor of Korean and comparative literature in the department of East Asian languages and cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is author or editor of numerous books about and translations of Korean literature and history, including Sourcebook of Korean Civilization (Columbia, 1997).