Korean / Republic of Korea
Tomato gijun
(How to choose good tomatoes)
Kim, Jun-hyeon
(text)
Song, Sunok
(illus.)
Paju: Munhak dongne (Munhakdongne Publ.), 2021. – 111 p.
(Series: Munhak dongne dongsijip; 84)
ISBN 978-89-546-8500-9
Poetry | Wordplay | Pun | Tomato
Reading age: 8+
White Ravens issue: 2022
Kim Jun-hyeon, who has received several awards for his poetry since his debut in 2013, is known for continually experimenting with poetical language and form. In particular, his use of wordplay in visual forms is unique, since in Korean children’s poems a pun is usually based on auditory elements. Quite a few poems in this collection are more concerned with the placement of words, the size of letters, and with punctuation than with the mere meaning of the text. These typographic features are not only »visible«, but also intended to stimulate all the senses. Take for instance the verses: »I wanted to replace some words with the smell of a well-baked baguette. I wanted to change some words into children’s clothes hanging on the veranda«. Attached to the texts are reviews by young readers who attest that the poems »connect to their heart« and »make their heart flutter«. Song Sunok’s matching illustrations not only enrich the atmosphere of the poems, they seamlessly flow with the written text, enhancing the effect of concrete poetry. [YC, MC, SP]