1970년대 미주 한인시와 소수자 의식

이형권 ( Lee Hyeong-kwon ) 현대문학이론학회 2017 現代文學理論硏究 Vol.0 No.70

이 논문은 1975년 미국의 한인 시인들이 발간한 『재미시인선집』의 문학사적 의미를 고찰한 것이다. 이 시집의 발간은 1970년대 미주 한인 시문학사에서 매우 유의미한 문학적 사건이다. 이 시집이 출간된 1975년은 아직 미주 한인시단이 본격적으로 발달하기 이전이었다. 이 시집은 이런 상황에서 발간되었기 때문에 더욱 중요한 의미를 갖는다. 그 의미는 다음과 같이 몇 가지로 정리할 수 있다. 첫째, 미주 한인시가 미국에서 소수집단의 문학으로 정착하는 계기가 되었다. 미주한인시는 20세기 초반 개화기 때부터 형성되기 시작되었지만, 1960년대까지만 해도 동인을 결성하여 공동으로 시집을 발간한 사례는 찾아볼 수 없다. 이 선집의 발간은 미주 한인 시단이 1970년대 들어서 형성기를 지나 정착기로 접어들었다는 점을 의미한다. 둘째, 미주 한인시단이 전문가 중심으로 정착하는 단초를 마련해 주었다. 이 시집에는 김시면, 고원, 김송희 등 11명의 시인이 작품을 싣고 있다. 이들은 대부분 국내에서 신춘문예나 문예지를 통해서 정식으로 등단을 하고 미국으로 이민을 간 시인들이다. 이 시집의 발간은 미주 한인시가 국내 시단과 연대 관계를 맺으면서 되면서 본격적으로 전개되는 계기가 된다. 셋째, 국내 시단과 유사한 작품성과 다양성을 확보하고 있다. 이 시집의 시들은 1970년대 국내 시단의 일반적인 시 경향과 유사한 양상을 보여준다. 즉 실험적이고 지성적인 모더니즘 차원의 시편들과 현실참여적인 리얼리즘 시편들, 그리고 순수 서정에 기대어 인간의 내면세계를 다룬 리리시즘의 시편들이 고루 포함되어 있다. 시의 형식도 단시형에서 장시형에 이르기까지 다양하다. 넷째, 미주 이민자로서의 소수자 의식을 적극적으로 드러내고 있다. 그 구체적인 내용은 미국에 대한 선망 의식, 미국 콤플렉스와 유랑 의식, 고독과 귀향의 의지, 불안과 죽음의식, 구원의 소망, 아메리칸 드림, 시적 자의식 등이다. 이 시집은 1970년대 미국사회에서 마이너리티로 살아갈 수밖에 없었던 한인들의 복잡한 내면세계를 충실하게 반영하고 있다. This paper examines the meaning of The Collection of Korean American Poets issued by Korean Americans in 1975 in vein of a literary history. Publishing this poetry collection is a significant literary event of the 1970`s Korean American poetry history. Year 1975 when this collection was published is the time when the Korean American poetry had not yet fully developed. Below are the important meanings of publication of The Collection of Korean American Poetry. First, this event of publishing the Korean American poetry collection became a stepping stone for Korean American poems to be recognized as a minority literature in the American society. Although Korean American poetry started to be written from the early twentieth century, there was no case that a poetry collection was published by a collaborative group until 1960`s. This poetry collection means that Korean American poetry group entered into a settlement phase after the 1970`s formative period. Second, this event became a momentum that helped Korean American poetry group to be settled as a central role in Korean American literary world. This collection includes eleven poets including Simyeon Kim, Wan Go, Songhee Kim, and so on. Most of them already became professional poets through literary contests hosted by prominent literary journals before they went to the US. Thus, the publication of this poetry book became an opportunity to build a close relationship between the Korean literary society and Korean American counterparts. Third, this publication shows similarities and varieties with Korean poetry groups at the same time. Poems included in this collection illustrate common literary tastes and similar aspects with 1970`s Korean poetry. Those poems include ones that are experimental, intellectually modernistic, realistically engaging, and lyrical, which deal with human inner worlds. In terms of poetic forms, there are various poems that are short poems, long poems, etc. Fourth, the poems of that collection reveal consciousness as a minority group who live in the States as an immigrant. The specific contents of those poems are envious feelings toward the States, nomadic consciousness of American complex psychology, loneliness and a sense of returning home, anxiety and death consciousness, a hope for redemption, American dream, poetic self-consciousness, etc. This collection fully embraces the complex inner world of 1970`s Korean Americans who were to live as a minority in the US.

개화기 미주 한인시의 근대성 연구

이형권 ( Lee Hyeongkwon ) 국제비교한국학회 2016 비교한국학 Comparative Korean Studies Vol.24 No.3

This paper aims to examine the generic characteristics and subject consciousness of Korean Americans` poetry during the early modern period. The characteristics of the genre at the time shows the transitional aspect. First, syllabic meter show 6-5, 7-5, 8-5 based on 3-4 and 4-4 rhythm. Foot meter shows various meters such as 3 and 4 meter based on 2 meter. There are number of poetry that are close to the free verse due to the irregularity of syllabic meter and foot meter. However, the poetry has not yet reached genuine free verse. Some poetry shows the free verse in the rhythm, but it has not yet contain modern content called personal inner world. These facts are not very different from the case of Korea, but shows the characteristic that Korean American in USA pursues free verse (1911) earlier than Korea (1914). Content of Korean American poetry is similar to the subject consciousness that the early modern poetry shows in Korea. However it also retains Korean American`s own characteristics. First, it is the poetry themed American civilization and the enlightenment ideas. The subjects of the poetry are similar to Korean poetry, but they are different because they set up American civilization as their ideal, not Japanese. Second, it is the poetry themed devotion to their country and people and independent thought. Theming the subjects is substantially the same with Korean poetry, but there is more strong will to resist the Japanese. Third, it is the poetry themed the consciousness of the Diaspora and emotions of nature. The poetry is based on foreign land, and also contains more natural emotions than domestic poetry. Considering class of writers, there is no professional poet and no amateur poet who writes continuously write in certain period. The name was marked anonymously or using pseudonym and alias. The language of the poetry was Korean, but there was also chinese. Moreover, there was awkward poetry that marked the pronunciation of English in Hangul. Overall, the fact that poetry written in Hangul was predominated is worthy to notice. In short, the early modern Korean American poetry in America is a valuable resource of history of Korean literature because many Korean Americans have played role to create and form the ethnic and cultural sense of community by participating on writing.

20세기 초 재미한인 국문시가의 사회적 의미와 작품 경향

윤지아 ( Yoon Jia ) 우리어문학회 2018 우리어문연구 Vol.60 No.-

본고에서는 20세기 초 재미한인 국문시가의 역사·사회적 의미를 재고하고, 그 작품 경향을 분석하였다. 이 연구는 다음과 같은 문제의식에서 출발하였다. 첫째, 당시 역사·사회적 현실 속에서 시가가 어떠한 의미체로 향유되었는지에 대한 깊이 있는 고찰이 필요하다. ‘전통시가-근대시’라는 장르 이행 문제에 초점을 맞추었던 기존의 연구에서는 재미한인 시가가 당시 사회 현실과 맺고 있었던 관계 및 상호작용이 충분히 해명되지 못하였다. 이에 본고에서는 『공립신보』, 『신한민보』 등 신문매체를 통해 향유되었던 작품들을 중심으로, 재미한인 사회의 형성과정에서 시가가 어떠한 양태로 존재하였는지를 알아보았다. 둘째, 재미한인 시가 작품의 의미를 실향의식·애국정신 등 몇 가지 고정된 유형으로 해석하는 시각적 단조로움을 극복할 필요가 있다. 이는 재미한인의 정체성을 ‘체류자 의식’이라는 고정된 해석 틀로 바라 본 결과인 듯하다. 그러나 재미한인들은 이민 중 나라를 잃었고, 문명국에서의 새 삶을 통해 새로운 가치관들을 내면화 하고 있었다. 재미한인 시가는 이러한 이민자들의 현실 및 인식의 변화상과 맞닿아 있기 때문에, 이를 바탕으로 다양한 해석을 시도할 수 있을 것이라고 보았다. 결과적으로, 재미한인 시가는 ‘무형국가’와 다름없었던 한인 공동체의 형성 및 유지 과정에서 적절한 사회적 기능을 수행하며 한인사회의 성립과 공동체 유지에 중요한 토대가 되었다. 아울러 미주 이민으로 한인들이 새롭게 경험하고, 내면화하였던 여러 가치관의 변화가 국문시가에 반영되어 있었다. This article tries to reexamine early 20^th century Korean-American classic poetry in the historical and social contexts and analyze tendency of those works. The immigration of Koreans to the United States began in earnest in 1903 and continued until the amendment of the Immigration Act, which legally blocked the immigration of Asians to the United States, came into effect in 1924. In this period, about 9,000 Koreans moved to Hawaii and the continental U.S. Meanwhile, Korea had been experiencing radical changes including opening ports to foreign trades, influx of western culture and a loss of sovereignty by Japan. Known as the modern enlightenment period, there were not only dramatic social changes but also various genres and themes of Korean literature works were created in this period. In this context, it is noticeable that Korean-American classic poetry of early 20^th century goes along with the history of Korean literature in the modern enlightenment period, and also reflects the special situation of immigration. Therefore, the Korean-American poetry, which has been located in the periphery of the poetry study, needs to be shed a new light on its value and significance in various aspects as it is a valuable material of Korean ethnicity as well as Korean immigration history. This article seeks to resolve two main research problematics: looking for the meaning of Korean-American poetry in the context of history and social realities at that time and trying to overcome the monotony of the existing researches that only focused on themes of the works with the sense of patriotism. As a consequence, it is found that the Korean-American poetry played an important role in the formation and maintenance of the Korean-American community of ‘Intangible State.’ The identity of the Korean-American had been reformed on the basis of the American civilization and given a new social role in the Korean-American community. In other words, the works of Korean-Americans reflect the changes of their reality and identity.

미주 한인시와 ‘세계로서의 문학’의 가능성

이형권 ( Lee Hyeongkwon ) 국제비교한국학회 2018 비교한국학 Comparative Korean Studies Vol.26 No.3

Korean American poets have written poems with the poetic imagination that appeals to the world readers, aiming at the co-existence with Others since 1990’s. In addition, they have made an effort to build a rapport with expatriate Korean poets from other countries such as China, Japan, Canada, Argentina, Chile, etc. They published special issues with Korean poems from different countries through some literary journals published in the United States. In addition, they showed the international bond by publishing The Poetry Festival of Year 2000 that contains Korean poems from all around the world. They actively participated in translation of Korean poems into English ones in order to globalize the former. In particular, Korean American poets tried to expand the horizon of Korean poetry through imagination of ‘topophilia’ in The Poetry Festival of Year 2000. Their writing act has more meanings than writing literature. They tried to uplift the sense of communality as well as Korean nationalism through writing poems. Also, their act of writing played roles as exploring existential meanings of their lives as well as spiritual opportunities to live as world citizens. This means that according to P. Casanova, they play a role as ‘literature as a world’. Korean American poets emphasize local sentiments. For example, some from New York write poems about New York, and others from Toronto do about Toronto. Their individual works belong to world literature as if the patterns of a carpet have their own meanings as a part but they consist of the carpet as a whole. Korean American poetry has their own meanings because it shows its own unique ‘topophilia’ that cannot be found in Korean poetry. The poets contribute to raising the statue of Korean poetry as world literature by complimenting elements that cannot be found in Korean poetry.

문예지 『지평선』과 『신대륙』의 문학사적 의미

이형권 한국언어문학회 2017 한국언어문학 Vol.103 No.-

The Horizon and The New Continent are the Korean literary magazines published in the United States from 1970’s to 1980’s. The former is a prominent magazine of the Western area of the US while the latter is the one of the Eastern area. The Horizon is specialized in poetry, and The New Continent is a rather comprehensive magazine that includes novels, essays, fairy tales and literary reviews as well as poems. There is no significant difference of both magazines in terms of contents of poems. Their common themes are desire for identification(favor and hope) with the American society, non-identification or desire for non-identification(isolation and critical mentality). However, The New Continent shows more critical aspects toward the American society, and has more lyrical aspects than The Horizon. Meanwhile, The Horizon expresses a favorable attitude toward American civilization and nature. Generally, poems published in both magazines are lyrics. They are mainly written in Korean, but some of the poems are written in both Korean and English. Using Korean and English words is one of the characteristics of Korean American poetry. The meaning of The Horizon and The New Continent in the literary history are as follows: First, both magazines embrace sentiments such as pain, hope, and homesickness of Korean American immigrants in 1970’s and 1980’s. Second, both has contributed to developing Korean American poetry which was inherited to Korean American Literature, and New York Literature. Third, both expends the history of Korean American poetry as well as the history of Korean poetry. Thoroughly compared and closely analyzed with Korean domestic poetry literature, literary values of both magazines should be objectively evaluated. In addition, studies on both magazines by being compared with Korean literature in other foreign countries can be used to expand the boundary of modern Korean literature. It must be hurried because the number of poets who have lived in foreign countries drastically decreases.

문예지 지평선과 신대륙의 문학사적 의미

이형권(Lee Hyeong Kwon) 한국언어문학회 2017 한국언어문학 Vol.103 No.-

The Horizon and The New Continent are the Korean literary magazines published in the United States from 1970’s to 1980’s. The former is a prominent magazine of the Western area of the US while the latter is the one of the Eastern area. The Horizon is specialized in poetry, and The New Continent is a rather comprehensive magazine that includes novels, essays, fairy tales and literary reviews as well as poems. There is no significant difference of both magazines in terms of contents of poems. Their common themes are desire for identification(favor and hope) with the American society, non-identification or desire for non-identification(isolation and critical mentality). However, The New Continent shows more critical aspects toward the American society, and has more lyrical aspects than The Horizon. Meanwhile, The Horizon expresses a favorable attitude toward American civilization and nature. Generally, poems published in both magazines are lyrics. They are mainly written in Korean, but some of the poems are written in both Korean and English. Using Korean and English words is one of the characteristics of Korean American poetry. The meaning of The Horizon and The New Continent in the literary history are as follows: First, both magazines embrace sentiments such as pain, hope, and homesickness of Korean American immigrants in 1970’s and 1980’s. Second, both has contributed to developing Korean American poetry which was inherited to Korean American Literature, and New York Literature. Third, both expends the history of Korean American poetry as well as the history of Korean poetry. Thoroughly compared and closely analyzed with Korean domestic poetry literature, literary values of both magazines should be objectively evaluated. In addition, studies on both magazines by being compared with Korean literature in other foreign countries can be used to expand the boundary of modern Korean literature. It must be hurried because the number of poets who have lived in foreign countries drastically decreases.

한국현대문학사 기술을 위한 한국계 미국 작가들의 작품 연구

정종진(Jong-jin Jeong) 어문연구학회 2007 어문연구 Vol.55 No.-

  The literature written by Koreans living aboard belongs to the Korean people. This helps people understand Korean culture, thus the gap between Korean and world literature can be narrowed. Furthermore, the success of Korean writers living abroad plays a large part in expanding Korean cultural territory.<BR>  Korean-American literature is representative of Korean literature in other parts of the world because the U. S has the largest population of Koreans living outside Korea. The achievements of Korean?Americans writers, who write in English (just like Korean-Canadian, Korean-English, etc) are more highly regarded than other Korean writers living aboard in none English speaking countries. Especially, the literature of other English speaking countries being closer to world literature than Russian-Korean and Japanese- Korean literature.<BR>  Almost of all Korean-American poets proudly write poetry in Korean, with the majority being first or 1.5 generation. This is in contrast to novelists, who are mainly 1.5 or second generation Korean-Americans. Compared to Korean-American poets writing in Korean, novelists create their best-known works in English. This is widely known in the literary world and is why English literature is a large part of world literature.<BR>  Thus, Korean literary history must also include works by Korean-Americans. It gives them a sense of pride to be included, rather than being alienated. Korean literary history must become more vibrant and alive. Various conditions exist that hinder this inclusion. It is not only for the American literary domain and English-language authors to evaluate Korean-American writers, but also and especially for native Korean writers and the ones who write Korean literary history to evaluate. Effort must be made to have these wonderful writers evaluated by both Korean and English-language writers. As Korean cultural territory expands, so must Korean literary history.

19세기말 『미국민속학보(the Journal of American Folklore)』에 소개된 한국시가의 특징

김승우(Kim, Seung-u) 우리문학회 2013 우리文學硏究 Vol.0 No.40

본고는 19세기말 『미국민속학보』에 수록된 한국 관련 논문들의 분포를 개관하고, 그 가운데 가장 주목되는 애나 스미스의 「몇 편의 한국 자장가(Some Nursery Rhymes of Korea)」를 분석함으로써 당시 서구 학계에 한국시가가 어떠한 방식으로 소개되었는지 그 궤적을 살피는 데 목적을 둔다. 애나 스미스는 미국 연방정부에서 교육 행정가로 활동한 여성 명사였다. 특히 스미스가 담임했던 분야는 해외의 교육 정책이었기 때문에 한국에 대해서도 예사 이상의 관심을 보였던 것으로 파악된다. 이처럼 여성으로서, 또한 해외의 교육 문제를 다루는 관료로서 스미스의 관심사가 중첩되면서 한국 어머니들의 모성과 교육적 가치가 응축되어 있는 자장가(nursery rhymes)를 논의의 대상으로 포섭해 들일 수 있었던 것이다. 따라서 그의 글에서는 한국의 자장가로부터 도출해 낼 수 있는 한국인의 전통적 인간관과 세계관 및 교육관이 시종 중시되었다. 스미스가 특히 주목했던 사항은 내세보다는 현세에서 자식이 출사하고 영달하기를 기원하는 어머니의 ‘실용적 충동’과 그러한 출사를 가능케 하는 기반으로서의 도덕적ㆍ인격적 수양, 입신양명의 유가적 기원과 자연스레 융합된 인과응보의 불교적 기원, 가족 관계와 가족 제도가 안정적으로 지속되기를 바라는 마음 등이었다. 한편, 스미스의 글에서 또 한 가지 두드러지는 내역은 한국시가의 율격적 특성에 대한 언급이 이루어졌다는 점이다. 그는 한국시가에서는 음절의 강약이 율격의 기저로 활용되지 않는다는 점을 확인하고서 강약률 이외의 율격모형을 모색하였으며, 그 귀착점으로 장단율을 하나의 가설로 설정하기에 이른다. 이상과 같은 스미스의 논의는 체계화된 자료 조사나 분석에 의거한 것이기 보다는 대개 개인적인 인상과 추정을 바탕으로 이루어진 것이었고, 따라서 그 학술적 의의 역시 제한적일 수밖에 없다. 그러나 스미스의 글은 미국의 유력 학술지인『미국민속학보』에 수록되었기 때문에 폭넓은 독자층을 확보할 수 있었을 뿐만 아니라, 서구 학자와 지식인들의 뇌리에 한국의 문화적 특질을 각인하는 데에도 중요한 영향을 미쳤을 가능성이 높다. 요컨대 애나 스미스의 고찰은 그 적부를 차치하고라도 한국시가가 서구 학계에 소개되던 궤적과 방식을 보여준다는 점에서 각별한 의미가 있으며, 이 같은 의미에 입각하여 그의 작업이 정당하게 평가되어야 할 것이다. This article aims to take a general view of the papers on Korea in the Journal of American Folklore in the late nineteenth century and to examine how Korean poetry was introduced to the western academic world by particularly analyzing Anna Tolman Smith’s “Some Nursery Rhymes of Korea,” which is regarded as the most important writing of them. Smith was a distinguished woman as an executive official engaging in foreign educational systems in the U.S. federal government, so it is likely that her interest as a woman and specialist in foreign education led her to inquire Korean traditional nursery rhymes which essentially reflect Korean mothers’ hope and lessen to their children. Consequently, she throughout tried to deduce Korean people’s view of life, the world, and education from several nursery songs. What she specially mentioned are Korean women’s ‘practical’ wish for their children’s success not in the world beyond the grave but in this world, and their serious consideration for the ethical value. Besides, she also paid attention to Koreans’ Buddhistic religion combined with Confucianism, and their inclination to maintain the traditional family system. Meanwhile, it is notable that she managed to conceptualize the versification structure of Korean poetry. After she found out that the stress of the syllables is not necessarily associated with the rules of the versification of Korean verses, she spotted the length of the syllables as the primary factor that makes the rhythm in Korean language and poetry. Strictly speaking, Smith’s inquiry into Korean poetry lacked scholarly exactitude since her study was based mostly on personal speculation rather than on thorough analyses. Nonetheless, because her paper appeared in the Journal of American Folklore, one of the most potent academic journals at that time in the U.S., it could have not only a large circle of subscribers but also a great influence on western intellectuals’ understanding of Korean culture. Such a feature made her writing acquire a certain level of importance which has not been found in the preceding westerners’ studies of Korean poetry.

‘마주한 시간’과 ‘도래할 시간’ 사이에서 - 남미 지역 한인시 연구

최종환 한국문학연구학회 2021 현대문학의 연구 Vol.- No.75

The purpose of this study is to analyze the internal logic of Korean poetics in South America based on the ‘temporality’ agenda, and to promote the scalability of the study of Korean literature abroad. The temporality of Korean poetry in South America is sensed in the cultural history and unconscious spatiality that unfolds between the time faced and the time to come. Among the problematic poets who have worked in South America are Mok Dong-gyun, Joo Seong-geun, Hwang Un-heon, An Gyeong-ja, Kim Jae-seong, Maeng Ha-rin, Myo-jong Shin, Park Sang-soo, Bae Jeong-woong, Yun Chun-sik, and Lim Dong-gak. Among them, this study focused on the poetics of Kim Jae-seong, Mok Dong-gyun, and Bae Jeong-woong, who exemplified the identity of South American Korean literature in terms of temporality and enhanced it with their own aesthetic grammar. The temporality that works in these poems arises from the relationship between the ‘reality’ faced in South America and the ‘imagination’ to overcome that reality. This is mainly perceived in three contexts. First, it is a case of desire to arrive at a time completely different from the difficult times faced in the relocation area. These two times are disconnected from each other and operate in the eschatological imagination. Second, the time that has arrived is similar to the time before migration. Derridan temporality flows here. Third, the time faced is highlighted, but the time of hope does not come well. The poems of Kim Jae-seong, Mok Dong-gyun, and Bae Jeong-woong show the straight-forwardness, paradox, and demise of time that are difficult to find in the poetry of Koreans in other regions. This temporal imagination is problematic in that it reveals a typical sense of time in South American Korean poetry. Kim Jae-seong’s poems bring kairos time into the South American wilderness. It is because that time marks the time faced in South America as a sinful time. Mok Dong-gyun’s poetry highlights the overlapping of memories from Korea in the unfamiliar time that he encountered at the place he moved to. Bae Jung-woong’s poetry meets the tragic present, in which the future to come is postponed indefinitely. In the process, he experiences the temporality of annihilation. The results of this study are expected to invite more Korean poets from South America, who have not yet been introduced to Korean academic circles, to the study of Korean literature in foreign lands. Furthermore, it will be possible to create a research perspective that allows access to Korean literature of regions such as Bolivia and Peru. 본 연구의 목적은 ‘시간성’ 의제에 입각하여 남미 지역 한인 시학의 내적 논리를 분석하여 재외코리안문학 연구의 확장성을 도모하는 데 있다. 남미 한인 시의 시간성은 이주지에 가서 마주한 시간과 그곳으로 도래할 시간 사이에서 펼쳐지는 문화사적이고 무의식적인 장소성 속에서도 감지된다. 남미 지역에서 활동한 문제적 시인들로 목동균, 주성근, 황운헌, 안경자, 김재성, 맹하린, 심근종, 박상수, 배정웅, 윤춘식, 임동각 등을 꼽아볼 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 그 중에서도 남미 한인문학의 정체성을 시간성 차원에서 예시하고 자신만의 미학적 문법으로 고양시킨 김재성, 목동균, 배정웅의 시학에 주목하였다. 그들 시에 작동하는 시간성은 남미 지역에 가서 마주하게 된 ‘현실’과 그 현실을 넘기 위한 ‘상상’이 다가오며 발생하는데 크게 세 가지 맥락으로 감지된다. 첫째, 이주지에서 마주한 힘든 시간과는 온전히 다른 시간이 도래해 주기를 욕망하는 경우이다. 이 두 시간은 서로 단절돼 있으며 종말론적인 상상 속에서 작동한다. 둘째, 그렇게 도래한 시간이 이주하기 전의 시간과 유사해지는 정황이다. 여기에는 데리다(J·Derrida)적 시간성이 흐른다. 셋째, 마주한 시간은 부각되지만 희망의 시간이 잘 도래하지 않는 경우이다. 상기 세 시인의 시에는 타 지역 한인의 시에서는 잘 드러나지 않는 시간의 직진성, 역설성, 적멸성이 감지된다. 이 시간적 상상력은 남미 한인 시의 한 전형적 시간의식을 드러낸다는 점에서 문제적이다. 김재성의 시는 카이로스적 시간을 남미 광야로 도래시킨다. 그 시간이 이주지 남미에서 직면한 시간을 죄악된 것처럼 지시하기 때문이다. 목동균의 시는 이주한 곳에서 마주한 낯선 시간 속으로 한국에서 건너온 기억의 시간이 겹쳐지는 사태를 부각한다. 배정웅의 시는 자신에게 다가올 미래가 무한히 연기되는 비극적인 현재와 만난다. 그 과정에서 그는 적멸의 시간성을 경험하게 된다. 본 연구의 성과는 아직 한국 학계에 소개되지 않은 더 많은 남미 지역의 한인 시인들을 재외코리안문학 연구의 장으로 초대시킬 것으로 예상한다. 더 나아가 볼리비아, 페루 등 지역의 한글문학까지 접근케 하는 연구 시야도 만들 수 있을 것이다.

‘내부의 이방인들’과 ‘태생의 시’ : 한국계 미국 입양시 읽기

정은귀 한국영미문학교육학회 2013 영미문학교육 Vol.17 No.1

Adoptee discourse and its literature have garnered the critical interest and attention very recently under the numerous approaches to transnational, transracial subjects, transnational flows of people, good, and knowledge. But there has been little or no attempt to consider how ‘different’ the languages of adoptees are, expecially in the field of poetry. Trying to capture the different voices of Korean American Adoptee poets, this essay attempts to ponder on rather flexible practices of poetry writings by contemporary Korean American Adoptees in and out of the border crossing discourses. I will propose that close reading of poetic languages by Korean Adoptee poets, outsiders within in America reveals that there we can see breaks and rifts on the recognition of adoption rather than a single voice of displacement. Poems of Lee Herrick, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, and Sun Yung Shin, whose poetry books were published in the same year in 2007, traverse freely from their living places in America to Seoul, their birthplace, origin. In their flexible, mobile meandering, Korean adoptees once uprooted and abandoned from their birthplace go back to the very place of origin and keep on constructing their identities, which is a not-yet-finished process itself. To invite their poems to the critical field of contemporary poetics is to experience these new languages and forms of ‘outsiders within’ both in America and in Korea. Their poems, sometimes fallen in a somewhat nostalgic mood, sometimes being a sign of blessings, or being a weapon to pierce the guilt sense of Koreans, or being an experimental form that draws Hangul in a white page, are not staying on the level of privation, depression, or rage. Rather the different voices of these Korean Adoptee poets prove that their poetic returning in English wearing various poetic forms is a ceremony and practice crossing the long distance of erasure and reconciliation, so that they take an active role in refashioning a literary landscape of contemporary Korean and American poetry.