No Flower Blooms Without Wavering

An English rendition of a collection of poetry by Do Jong-hwan, one of Korea’s most beloved poets. Do’s literary career started in 1984, when he released Age of Division while teaching Korean language and literature to high-school students. His second poetry collection, You the Hollyhock, sold over a million copies and was made into a film, and he became one of Korea’s most influential poets during the 1980s, popular among critics and readers alike. Through poetry, Do found beauty in the poverty of his youth and in the sadness and pain from losing his wife to illness. He portrays flowers, trees, creeks, wind, mountains, and other shifts in nature through a unique poetic sensibility. Have accepted poetry as his “fate and companion,” he conveys simple truths and wisdom, such as how life matures and finds beauty amid pain and suffering. This collection was rendered into English by Brother Anthony, President of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch and translator who has introduced international readers to several Korean works, and Jinna Park.