Maninbo: The Boy in the Cave

Ko Un conceived of his magnum opus in a military prison, vowing to write a poem for every person he has ever known. His Maninbo has now amassed 4,001 poems contained in 30 volumes, memorializing a vast array of individuals. Volumes 21-30, selected for translation here, are dedicated to the victims of two great acts of official violence: the 1960 April Revolution and the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.