"??? ??? (A Thousand Magnolias)" Written by Therese Young Kim, Published by Daewonsa

??? ??? (A Thousand Magnolias),” a book of poetry and stories (in Korean except for three poems), with photo images.

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“You are not too old, and it is not too late to dive into your increasing depths where life calmly gives out its own secret.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

Dear my LinkedIn friends around the world:

????Subliminally, I have been chasing the illusions of peace and beauty in all seasons of my life, in the sun and moon rising from the East Sea and the lonely island of Dokdo of my old country, over the Pacific and the New World where rainbows looked more stunning and colorful beckoning me to come. I have journeyed through the age of innocence, delicious happiness, war-ravaged, toiling with work, fleeting romance, pleasure and pain of marriage and divorce, and now piled up with years of age into an ancient woman that I've turned, with a mess of silver hair, impersonating an old pigeon.

????While studying in Seoul, Korea, I fell in love with English and French for their beauty of flexibility and fluidity. Although my French fell behind, it introduced me to the magic of French impressionism of Monet, Manet, Flaubert, Emile Zola, "The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese, and Baudelaire’s “Paris Spleen,” to name just a few. While studying English literature I discovered Hemingway, DH Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Chekov, Tolstoy, and Rainer Maria Rilke in English translation, as well as the music of Bach, Chopin, Mozart, on and on. At the same time, I’ve retained my native language, Korean, with its purity from an archaic culture that is yet to be revealed, in which I was born, raised, educated, and loved.

????Miraculously then, came the publication of “??? ??? (A Thousand Magnolias)” this May, which I humbly present here with my little figurines, including Korean ceramic vases and a mini bronze bell in celebration of this debut.?“??? ??? (A Thousand Magnolias)” is a bouquet of flowers I’ve gathered from the Garden of Arts and Literature indicated above, which also enabled me to write in English as well. ?

? Referring myself as an “ancient woman” has a double entendre in that I remember the legacy of my Old Country where the world’s very first movable metal type was invented in 1234 in Heungdeoksa Buddhist Temple in Chongju City, known as the city of education and culture in South Korea.

????Thanks to this printing technology, numerous books of Buddhist teachings have been published for centuries, the first of which was called “Jikji,” meaning straightforward and honest communication in the teaching of Seon meditation. ?During the golden age of Korean Buddhism, countless artifacts and national treasures had been produced only to be looted and pillaged by Japan during their invasions, culminating to the brutal annexation of Korea from 1910 through 1945. In September 2001 UNESCO formally designated “Jikji” as the very first manuscript printed in the world’s oldest metalloid type in Korea.

???As the author of “A Thousand Magnolias,” I owe profoundly to those voiceless and courageous Korean immigrants I met while working as a court interpreter in New York and elsewhere, for the resilience and grace shown in their plight for American dream. But st and foremost, I owe to the memory of my late parents’ undying love and sacrifice that is the spirit of this book. My utmost gratitude to the superb Daewonsa Publishing in Seoul, Korea, for creating this book into an exquisite work of art!

???I’ve gifted the book to my extended family and friends living near and far and donated three books to the Asian language acquisition department of New York Public Library, and I hope to gift more to Korean language departments in universities or libraries outside Korea, if opportunities come by.

???Dear cherished LinkedIn friends world, thank you so much for your kind attention given to this post, and let me close with my title poem, “A Thousand Magnolias,” sending you and your loved ones my endless blessings!

A Thousand Magnolias

Palms gathered onto my chest

I remember Mama holding me close

to her bosom.

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When I became a toddler

papa gave me piggyback rides.

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Now grown into a life of my own

in another time and place too far

to turn back,

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I’m cradling a thousand magnolias

that have never been sent.

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? Therese Young Kim Photo credit: Konrad Monroe

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