Poet Sun Hyang Kim Honored with 2025 Orpheus Texts Book of the Year Award for So Long
South Korean writer, scholar, and humanitarian Sun Hyang Kim has been awarded the 2025 Orpheus Texts Book of the Year Award for her poetry collection So Long, marking a major achievement for Korean literature on the global stage. The ceremony took place on October 28, 2025, at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, with about 70 distinguished guests. The award, presented annually by Mundus Artium Press, recognizes works with lasting international infl uence.
Gjekë Marinaj, Director of Mundus Artium Press, praised the collection’s strong metaphors, allegories, and artistic clarity, noting that the first edition sold out within months and the new edition continues to attract readers worldwide. He also highlighted the translation, completed by Sun Hyang Kim with co-translator Dean J. Ouellette, saying it connects “two languages and continents so naturally that English readers won’t sense that the poetry is translated.”
In her acceptance speech, Sun Hyang Kim refl ected on the cultural meaning of her book’s title So Long, explaining that “Annyeong (안녕)” is used for both greeting and parting in Korean, while “So long” conveys a warm farewell. She thanked those who supported the book and quoted John Keats: “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness…” The event drew prominent cultural and diplomatic leaders, underscoring the significance of her achievement: Kyungnam University President Park Jae Kyu; former Minister of Foreign Aff airs and Trade Song Min-soon; former Ambassador to the United States Ahn Ho-young; President of the Korea Diplomatic Association Shin Bong-gil; Chairwoman of Hyundai Group Hyun Jeong-eun; President of the Korean Women’s Associations United Huh Myung; and Vice President of the Korean Red Cross Jung Chae-young.
Kim’s poetry is shaped by her own experiences of division and reconciliation, having been born in North Korea and later settling in the South. Her academic career includes roles at Ewha Womans University, Kyunghee University, and Kyungnam University, and she has demonstrated notable humanitarian leadership through her service with the Korean Red Cross. So Long draws from thirteen years of poetic work—including Verse Diary (2012), Golden Roses (2021), and The Day, The Flower (2024)—and further advances the “verse diary” genre.
Many poems in So Long offer intimate reflections on defining moments of modern Korean history, such as the Korean War, inter-Korean summits, and reunions of separated families. Beyond her original poetry, Kim is also a distinguished translator and scholar of English Renaissance works, particularly the works of John Donne. Her recognition with the Orpheus Texts Book of the Year Award highlights the growing global interest in Korean literature and affirms her role as a major poetic bridge between Eastern and Western traditions.
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For more information, please visit:
Mundus Atrium Press – https://mundusatriumpress.us/
Sun Hyang Kim – https://v.daum.net/v/20251029100932608