Flowers of a Moment

“Bodhisattva of Korean poetry, exuberant, demotic, abundant, obsessed with poetic creation . . . Ko Un is a magnificent poet, combination of Buddhist cognoscente, passionate political libertarian, and naturalist historian.”—Allen Ginsberg

"Korea's greatest living Zen poet."—Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Flowers of a Moment is a treasure trove of more than 180 brief poems by a major world poet at the apex of his career. A four-time Nobel Prize nominee,Ko Un grew up in Korea during the Japanese occupation. During the Korean War, he was conscripted by the People's Army. In 1952, he became a Buddhist and lived a monastic life for ten years.

For his activism confronting South Korea's dictatorial military government, he was imprisoned and tortured. He has published more than one hundred volumes of poetry, essays, fiction, drama, and translations of Chinese poetry. 

At sunset
a wish
to become a wolf beneath a fat full moon

180 brief zen poems from Korea's most beloved poet and four-time Nobel Prize nominee.

Four-time Nobel nominee Ko Un (1933- ) grew up in Korea during the Japanese Occupation. During the Korean War, he was conscripted by the People's Army. In 1952, he became a Buddhist and lived a monastic life for ten years. For his activism confronting South Korea's dictatorial military government, he was imprisoned and tortured. He has published over one hundred volumes of poetry, essays, fiction, drama, and translations of Chinese poetry. He lives with his wife and daughter in a village two hours from Seoul. Brother Anthony studied at Queen's College, Oxford University, before joining the Community of Taizé in 1969. He lived in the Philippines from 1977 to 1980, then moved to Korea, where became a naturalized citizen in 1994. He has translated app. 20 volumes of Korean poetry and is a professor at Sogang University. Young-moo Kim graduated from Seoul University and received his doctorate from SUNY at Stony Brook. He has published two volumes of poems in Korean and cotranslated numerous Korean authors into English. He was a professor at Seoul National University from 1981 until his recent death. Gary Gach was honored with an American Book Award for his anthology What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop and is author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism, now in a 2nd ed'n.