“When your mind is as dull as a pig’s
pricked by the thorns of poetry
“I read poetry to get my mind sharp.”

Park Wan-seo's famous quotes
Become a poem, become a picture book

Author Park Wan-seo, a literary giant who transcended her time, had a special affection for poetry.
In his works, the poems, poetry collections, and poets are also another name for love, as can be seen in the novels “That Man’s House,” “A Certain Savage,” and “So Many!”, and they also appear as symbols of wealth, nobility, or romance.
In her prose, the author Park Wan-seo's love of reciting poetry and keeping good poetry collections close by is clearly evident.
In the prose collection 『Why Do I Get Indignant Only Over Little Things』(Munhakdongne, 2015), he looks affectionately at a poetry collection he received as a gift in the mail, saying, "The poet is calling me with love." In a conversation in the prose collection 『Pretty Things in the World』(Maeumsanchaek, 2012), he said that he "reads new poetry collections" to find "one word that absolutely must be there among the countless words that exist in the world."
In another collection of essays, 『The Road Not Taken Is More Beautiful』 (Hyundae Munhak, 2010), the section titled “When I Want to Be Stung by the Thorns of Poetry and Come to My Senses” is particularly honest and clear in its description of the reasons for reading poetry and the joy of reading poetry.
"When you want to be pricked by the thorns of poetry and come to your senses" is a collection of "100 favorite poems recommended by 100 poets from 100 years of modern Korean poetry", and is a reflection on reading "Which heart does not have poetry bloom in it?" (Minumsa).
Beyond the author Park Wan-seo's meticulous writing, her deep affection for poetry, or more precisely, for 'good poetry', is clearly evident here.
The picture book 『Reading Poetry』 is a new picture book that reinterprets the famous line from "When you want to be pricked by the thorns of poetry and come to your senses."
In particular, the four sentences in the picture book 『Reading Poetry』 that begin with “I’m bored, I’m bored” are a simple reflection on how to enjoy literature, but they contain life and death, and the author Park Wan-seo’s perspective on life, without any filtering, and remain in the readers’ minds like a poem, becoming a famous sentence that is loved even more as time passes.
This shows that a single line of good poetry, just like a good poem, can become a picture book, a poem, or another work of art.


Poetry in sentences, life in poetry,
Discover the other side of life through picture books

In this day and age, who on earth reads poetry? Some say life itself is poetry, that poetry permeates everyday life, but can we easily agree with that sentiment?
For this reason, for that reason, for that reason, we may be gradually distancing ourselves from poetry and moving away from it.
Why, how, and when to read poetry.
Author Park Wan-seo seems to answer this abstract and fundamental question simply and plainly, without any embellishment.
“I want to be pricked by the thorns of poetry and come to my senses,” “I feel lonely about growing old, and I am afraid of death,” these sentences, which are like sincere confessions about reading poetry, go beyond love and faith in poetry, will and comfort, and contain the universal life of humanity, including the life of the writer, and the loneliness that follows.
The gaze that warmly embraces not only poetry but also life itself comes across as a heartwarming one, but also a strong whipping on the other.
So, while quietly and quietly encouraging life in a low voice, he reflects on himself, straightens his back and pulls his spirit back together.


Lee Seong-pyo, Korea's representative illustrator
Connect with Park Wan-seo's prose with purity and emotion.

The picture book 『Reading Poetry』 is a multi-faceted depiction of our tigers, and was created by Lee Seong-pyo, who won the Korea Publishing Culture Award for his picture book 『Tiger』 and has been active as an illustrator.
Starting with the magazine “Madang” in 1982, artist Lee Seong-pyo has contributed illustrations to newspapers, magazines, books, picture books, and advertising media, and has taught students at Hongik University and the Korea Illustration School (hills).
Artist Lee Seong-pyo, who has been working on illustrations and picture books for over 40 years, has also created lyrical illustrations such as Yun Dong-ju's poetry picture book "Boy" and Kwon Jeong-saeng's literature picture book "The General and the Farmer," and has created a major chapter in the history of Korean picture books and is recognized worldwide.
Living next to Bukhansan National Park, he cultivates his soul by becoming friends with the trees and forest. The paintings born from his hands are warm, simple, and clear without any unnecessary details.
It may seem free-spirited and unbound by text, but it is the product of careful consideration and meticulous digging.
The more you look at his paintings, the more their message sinks into your heart. They are as deep as Park Wan-seo's short but powerful sentences, and resemble her writing.
In just four short sentences, it deeply takes root and embraces the text, while simultaneously breathing life into the implicit narrative inherent in the text, conveying a story that only a painting can, and leaving a lasting impression of poetry that permeates life and the true nature of art that always stays with us.
Sentences filled with insight into life, and pictures that pierce through the sentences, will leave a lingering impression that moistens life for a moment, and leave gentle waves in the heart.


'Writer's Spirit Poetry Picture Book'

How happy it is to spend time contemplating a good poem.
The 'Writer's Spirit Poetry Picture Book' series aims to provide a space for reflection where one can quietly contemplate a poem, taking a break from everyday life and doing something else, sometimes like a stop, sometimes like a simple station.
Transcending the boundaries between poetry and painting, this work presents a work in which poetry is present in the painting and painting is present in the poetry.