Kim Hye-sun

Hye-sun Kim (Kim Hyesoon) is one of Korea's most radical and acclaimed poets, and Sorrowtoothpaste Mirrorcream — translated by Don Mee Choi — is a disorienting, exhilarating plunge into a poetic imagination that refuses to behave. Her poems blend surrealism, feminism, and visceral body imagery into something entirely her own.

Kim's work has been recognized with the Midang Literary Award, the Kim Su-yŏng Prize, and multiple other honors. She writes poetry that is confrontational, playful, and deeply strange — challenging readers to abandon their expectations of what a poem should do or say. Her influence on younger Korean poets is immense, and her work in English translation — thanks to Choi's extraordinary efforts — opens a window into one of the most vital poetic voices in Asia.