As armed conflicts continue around the world, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Gaza Strip conflict, a collection of children's poems capturing the pain of children exposed to war news and the value of peace has been published.
Poet Shin Sae-byeol's children's poetry collection "Who will soothe the crying baby" is a new work released by Shin, who has won the Open Children's Literature Award and the Korea Children's Literary Arts Award, after 15 years, and carries a message of compassion and solidarity for children living in an age of violence.
The poet looks at the realities of war and violence from a child's perspective, based on the awareness that "even the weak have the right to live in peace." In particular, the poet gently touches the anxiety and sorrow of children who encounter war daily through news screens with the language of poetry and reflects on the meaning of peace.
Comprising six parts and 29 poems, this collection begins by closely capturing small objects and beings of everyday life instead of grand slogans. In "Ellipsis" and "Cicada clothes," it kindly explores the gaps of everyday language and the order of nature to seek possibilities for communication, and in the latter pieces "Sky letter" and "Big Dipper," its gaze expands to a longing for nature and peace that embrace humanity.
This collection was produced as a Korean-French parallel text that includes the original Korean and the French translation together. Translator Choi Eun-jung, who holds a doctorate in linguistics from Lumière Lyon 2 University in France, handled the translation, and Magali Philitte, the current principal of an elementary school in Lyon, France, participated as reviewer to add vibrancy to the translation. Adding to this, illustrator Lee Young-won's restrained and warm drawings present the theme of peace in a visually calm way.
Written by Shin Sae-byeol | Translated by Choi Eun-jung | Reviewed by Magali Philitte | Illustrated by Lee Young-won | Peace Garden Publishing | 80 pages | 15,000 won