Compendium of Remarks on Classical Korean Sinitic Poetry

This is vol.1 of a 2-vol set.Compendium of Remarks on Classical Sinitic Korean Poetry (Sihwa ch’ongnim) offers the first full annotated English translation and in-depth study of Hong Manjong’s celebrated anthology, the most comprehensive collection of sihwa in Korea. These short, anecdotal critiques and stories capture the vibrant Sinitic poetry culture that lay at the heart of premodern Korean society. Poetry was not only a refined art but also a central medium of communication, diplomacy, and social exchange. Including voices of scholars, courtesans, prodigies, and even ghosts, this book reveals how classical poetry shaped intellectual life in premodern Korea and its place within the broader Sinographic world.

Christina Han, Ph.D. (2011), University of Toronto, is Associate Professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. She has published monographs, translations, and many articles on Korean literary and cultural history, including Solitary Cloud: Poetry of Ch’oe Ch’iwŏn (Korea University Press, 2016).