Peace is a day when everyone in the world eats bread together as friends. Banishing starvation from the earth is peace. —Ko Un, Song of Peace In a world known for its conformism and complacency, questioning through the writing of poetry is a most courageous and dangerous act. Poets are brave spirits, fighting against tyrannies, wars and violence. Perhaps no one exemplifies this more than South Korean poet Ko Un. His poems, touching upon the themes of life, nature, mortality and echoes of tradition, are firmly rooted in Korean life, fulfilling the function of historical memory. In the past 30 years, he has been translated into 35 languages, and is the recipient of dozens of literary prizes and honours. In Conversations with Ko Un, renowned philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo talks to the poet about his life, vision, aesthetics, travails and anxieties. Ko Un speaks about coming of age during the Korean War, his experience as a Buddhist monk, his imprisonment on several occasions, and poetry as an act of dissent. The result is an intense, illuminating, rich and insightful volume that emphasises the universality of the human experience. Contents: Foreword by Ashok Vajpeyi Acknowledgements Introduction: The Dance of the Poet by Ramin Jahanbegloo Part I—Discovering Poetry at Gunsan One: Childhood Memories Two: Loving Parents Three: A Japanese Education Four: The Love of Poetry Five: The Korean War Six: In Search of Spirituality Seven: Suicide and After Eight: Meeting with Poets Nine: Poetry and Politics Part II—Elective Affinities One: Ruins and Ashes Two: Meeting with Destiny Three: Poetry and Justice Four: Poets and their Ideals Five: A Sense of Realism Six: The Art of the Novel Seven: The House of Being Eight: Poetry beyond Borders Nine: The Immediacy of Presence Part III—A Poet beyond Self One: Disillusions Two: The Avatar Three: The Kamikaze Four: Poetry and Historical Memory Five: Poetry and the Self Six: Poetry in Korea Seven: Life is Prose, Death is Poetry Eight: Peace is Oxygen and Water of Life Part IV—Dreaming of Poetry One: Life is a Dream Two: Poetry and Truth Three: A Heavenly Art Four: Listening to Poems Five: Poetry-song Six: The Challenges of Translation Part V—Death and Destiny One: Poetry as Meditation Two: Poetry Makes Poetry Three: Poetry in the Age of Social Media Four: A Poet of Tomorrow Five: Poetry Readers Today Six: The People within Me Seven: Error is a Dream of Art Eight: Wandering on Earth