A Lion at Three in the Morning

A Lion at Three in the Morning contains about sixty poems by Nam Jin-Woo who sings of encounters with unfamiliar things. They may be animals such as a lion or alligators, a plant, a region’s climate or some other strange natural phenomenon. These unfamiliar things function as a medium that takes us to another world, not this one here. They are a part of an unknown world, a mirror reflecting this world, and something other than ourselves—like sleep resembling death which is inherently a part of us but is also a very remote, perpetual force outside of ourselves.

Nam Jin-Woo was born in Chonju, Chonbuk Province, in 1960. He has been actively writing and publishing poems ever since Dong-a Daily Newspaper awarded him in their spring literary contest of 1981. His career as a literary critic took off after Central Daily Newspaper recognized one of his critical essays in 1983. Mr. Nam has published several poetry books, including Cast Your Net in the Deep, Prayers for the Dead, and A Flaming Book, and is currently teaching creative writing at Myungji University.