Stevens Taeho Han

Stevens Taeho Han, Ph.D (born in April 7, 1952) is a Korean-born Canadian poet, literary critic, author, translator, who was short-listed for the finalists of the CBC Literary Award in 2009. He is a Zen poet, who always aspires for the invisible aspects of the mysterious life on a dewy knife of grass.

Tae Ho Han was born in Tan Yang (Red Light), Korea. He grew up in the ecological, natural beauty of Bamboo Mt., the backbone of The Great White Mt. and the Han River,the umbilical cord of South Korea. He was deeply imbued with this mountainous pastoralism and scenic riverscapes throughout his childhood. His favorite memories always linger on the snaky trains steaming on the silver-shining rails and the shimmering shards on the skirts of the poplar trees on the embankment.

He went to Je Chon Secondary School and studied English Literature at Chong Ju University. He became a simulataneous interpreter after the graduate study of Korean-English simultaneous Interpretation and Translation at the Foreign Studies of Han Kuk University, Seoul. He received the doctorate in English Literature from Han Yang University, Seoul.

He bacame a professor at Woo Song University in Tae Jon in 1985. He moved to Kwan Dong University in 1998 and taught Creative Writing and English Literature. He retired himself 10 years earlier than the formal retirement and travelled around the world to fill in his Life List to do during his lifetime.

He was invited as a reader and feature poet to the Kuala Lumpur Literary Festival, Malaysia in 2004,and also invited to the Croatia Literary Festival in 2005 and broadcast his poetry nationwide during the interview with the Croatian National Radio. He was honorably invited to the Kerala International Poets Festival, India in 2006.

He was an editor of Korean Poetry Magazines, Monthly or Quarterly, such as Poetry and Reality, Poetry and World, Lyric Poetics, and Modern Poetry Literature. He is now an editor of Poetic Directions in Seoul.

He moved to Canada in 2008 and resided in Toronto, Ontario, working as a translator and free-lance writer. In 2009, he won the first prize in poetry at the Stellar Literary Festival in Oshawa. He became the finalist in the category of poetry at the CBC Literary Award in 2009. He was rendered a full fellowship for the Residency Program by Vermont Studio Center in Vermont, USA in 2010. His poems are published by the Heart, Nostaligia Press in South Carolina, USA. His electronic poem books are circulated on Goodreads and Bookrix.

He published his English poem book in 2005, whose title is "A Wooden Ox Rocks Zagreb", reviewed by the Halifax Herald in 2008. He has two Korean poem books, A Roof without the House and Transport to Summer, funded by the Yong In Literary Association, and two textbooks on poetics and creative writing in Korean.

He is a full member of the League of Canadian Poets(LCP). He is a Zen Poet, who is enthusiatically active in producing poetry based on the Zen poetics and interested in how to press out the Zen ideas into the Western poetics. His doctoral disseration is written on "The Poetics of Zen in the Work of Wallace Stevens: An Eastern Approach to His Poetry."

He wrote a novel,A Korean Wild Cat: Sirasoni in 2007 and several short stories in Korean.

• CBC Literary Award,short listed in 2009.
• First Prize in Poetry, Stellar Award, 2009
• Honorable Mentioning in the Heart Poetry Contest, Nostaligia Press, SC, 2010.
• Honorable Fund by Korean Art Council in 2004.
• Full Fellowship by Vermont Studio Center, Vermont, 2010.

Poetry

• Transport to Summer, 2006
• A Wooden Ox Rocks Zagreb, 2006
• A Roof Without the House, 1992

Criticism

• Poetic Imagination and Creation of Modern Poetry, 2006
• The Godlen Bough of the Language Compass, 2001
• Canadian Poetry, critical articles for Poetic Directions, 2008-10
• Innovative Poetry and their Trends, Poetry and Reality, 2002-4
• Zen Poetry and Its Innovativenss, Poetry and World, 2006

Theses

1. “Zen Poetic Traits in Korean Modern Poetry,” International Creative Writing Symposium, Korea Creative writing Society, 2005

2. “Poetry-Creating Process in Relation to the Creativity of Epithets: Poetic Styles and Figurative Expressions,” Kwan Dong Univ. Journal,2003

3. “Zenistic Stare at Nothing in ‘The Snow Man’ of Wallace Stevens,” Journal of Korean Modern English Literature Society, 2002

4. “The Mythical Sensibility of the Early Poetry of W.S. Merwin: "The Bones" in the East-West Myths of Creation,” Journal of Korea East-West Comparative Literature Society, Vol 4, 2001

5. “Comparative Study on Confucian Li-Chi and Poetic Analogy of Wallace Stevens: ‘Effects of Analogy’" Journal of Korea-West Comparative Literature Society, Vol 2, 1999

6. “Yeats and Neo-Confucianism: Dynamics of Li and Chi,” Journal of Korea Yeats Society, Vol 11, Sep. 1999

7. “The Zen Poetic Nature of American Poetry: Zenistic Approach to Emerson's Nature,” Journal of Korea East-West Comparative Literature Society, Vol 1, 1998

8. “The Signifying Elements of "The center of Resemblance" in Stevens' Works,” Journal of Humanties, Kwan Dong Univ. 1998

9. “Yeats' Elemental Poetry: Rational Irrationality,” Journal of Korea Yeats Society, Vol 9, Dec. 1997

10. “Yeats' Easternness in "Supernatural Songs": Poetics of Duality,” 3rd Yeats International Conference, Seoul, Oct. 1996

11. “Yeats Omen of Millenium: Dreams in "the Rose," Journal of Korea Yeats Society, Vol 6, Spring. 1996

12. “A Reading of "The Wind among the Reeds": Poetic Dual Dreaming of Speaker and Listener,” Journal of Korea Yeats Society(KYS), Vol 5, Spring. 1996

13. “Desire of Supremacy in Lacan and Yeats: Metaphors and Metonyms in ‘Sailing to Byzantium’," Journal of KYS, Vol 3-4, March. 1995

14. “The Poetic World of W. Stevens' Mirror Images: Verval Multi-Mirrors of Metonymy,” Journal of Korean Modern English Literature Society, Vol 36,

15. “The Poetry of Wallace Stevens and Yeats: Masks of Imagination and Reality,” Journal of KYS, Vol 2, Dec. 1993

16. “An Eastern Approach to the Poetry of Wallace Stevens: A Zen Interpretation,” Doctoral Dissertation, Han Yang Univ, 1992

17. “Bluish Signifie of "Gerontian Barbarian" of D. H. Lawrence,” Woo Song University, 1991

18. “Death of Gerald Crich in Lawrence's The Rainbow,” Woo Song University, 1990

The rest out of 25 Works will be more listed upon request.

Books

• What does it Mean to be a Good Canadian?(In proceedings), Social essay on immigration, Korea Academy Information Co(KAI), Seoul, 2010

Books Translated in English

• 100 Questions and Answers on Dokdo Island, Shin, Yong-ha, Dokdo Island Association, Seoul, 2007

• Canadian Anthology of Pure Literature,Anthology of Korean Poets residing in Canada, Pure Literature Pub., 2006

• A Pensive Bird of National Unification, Yu Soon, Korea Munhwasa,Recommended by the Ministry of Unification, Seoul, 2002

• Dozens of Textbooks & Articles in various literary & poem magazines,since 1981

• Korean poems in many literary magazines, including the poetry of eminent poets to be submitted to various International Awards.

Anthology

• 1 poem, Korean Canadian Writers’ Association(KCWA) Literary Collections, Vol 2, Toronto, 2009
• 1 Literary Criticism, Literary Modernity and World-wide Vision, 2005 International Creative Writing Symposium, Seoul, 2005
• Two poems, Dok Do 33 Shouts, Association of Dokdo Sarang, Seoul, 2007
• 3 poems, Kairos in Zagreb, 4th International Poetry Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2006
• 3 poems, Poetry and Humanity, 10th International Poets Festival, Kuala Lumpur, 2004

Chapbooks

• Kritya-97, 4th International Poetry Festival, Kerala, India, 2007

Reviews

• Forward, On the Wings of Dawn, Poem book by Maria P. Marchelletta, Canadian Federation of Poets(CFP), Nov. 2009
• Book Review, Empty Place, Poem book by Myunghee Kim, Contemprary lyric poetry Vol 24, Poetics, May 2009
• Book review, Mama Boils Rice with Candle, Jaehak Jung, Minumsa, Series 116, 2004

• Downy Emptiness Bower on the Willowy Hill
• Iron Goddess of Winter
• Apocalypse of Grandiose Elegance