{
  "id": 19229827,
  "title": "[57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards] Poetry Commendation Award: There Was a Fire",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/57th-modern-korean-literature-translation-awards-poetry-commendation-19229827",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T22:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/books/20261110/57th-modern-korean-literature-translation-awards-poetry-commendation-award-there-was-a-fire"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, the Poetry Commendation Award was given to \"There Was a Fire,\" a work written by An Hee-yeon and translated by Park Se-yeon. The poem reflects deep personal emotions and the passage of time.\n\nThe poet describes a chill day and a sense of solitude. He contemplates lighting a fire, creating a vivid image of sticks being laid together to ignite. He hums a soothing song, dreaming of a fire that is gentle and not destructive. The poem emphasizes the importance of a fire that allows and nurtures, rather than one that scorching or burns.\n\nDespite the hardships, the poet finds solace in the arrival of others, symbolized by people gathering around. Even in the face of adversity, stories emerge like palm lines intertwined, unnoticed and unassuming. The poem personifies the sun and moon bidding farewell beyond a fence, while weeds grow and a stray dog retrieves its soul, returning home. The poet himself, born from the ashes of his own death, falls asleep to the fire.\n\nEven though the fire was extinguished long ago, certain things persist. The poet, covered in flour, steps into the square, bearing his sorrow. He had hidden his umbrella, embracing the rain to declare that he does not break or shatter. The final lines of the poem hint at resilience and the enduring nature of certain aspects, despite the extinguished fire.",
  "summary": "Written by An Hee-yeon Translated by Park Se-yeon There Was a Fire He figured the day had turned chill, and also felt a bit alone. Today, I'll light a fire, he thought. He laid dry sticks together and lit them. Fire, rise, fire— he hummed a song, he dreamed of a fire that would not hurt, not a fire that devours but the one that allows, not a fire that scorches but the one that allows. Even here,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}