Ko Un was born in southwestern Korea in 1933. Following first-hand encounters with the horrors of war, he ordained as a Buddhist monk and went on to become a Zen master in charge of the famed Haeinsa Temple. Later he grew disillusioned with self-centeredness he encountered within the order and disrobed. Taking a job as a schoolteacher on the island of Cheju, he began asking people about their lives, until the authorities hauled him in and gave him a beating for doing so. He became a peace activist and freedom fighter. Repeatedly imprisoned and tortured, he knew days, which could be his last. Then came vindication; and marriage and fatherhood. And Buddhism returned to his attention.Ko Un has published over a hundred volumes of poetry, essays, fiction, and drama. His work has been translated into Spanish, German, French, Polish, Danish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. This is the first release of his fiction in English.
