Synopses & Reviews
When the King's governor, after falling into rebel hands and changing sides, is recaptured by royal troops and executed, his sons and grandsons are also condemned to death. They survive by subterfuge, but they have lost their place in society. The Poet tells the story of Kim, the youngest grandson, consigned to a life of vagrancy and genteel begging as a wandering poet. In his efforts to recover the family's fortunes, he commits a second betrayal, this time against his own house. This is a haunting and luminous tale whose main themes are the search for self-respect and self-identity in an unjust society.
Synopsis
A young man's determination to maintain his integrity in an unjust society forces him to endure a lonely and dangerous odyssey.
When a governor to the King falls into rebel hands, he switches sides to save his skin. When later he is captured by royal troops, it is not only he that is condemned to death as a traitor but his sons and grandsons too. They survive by subterfuge, but though they keep their lives, they have lost their place in society.
The Poet tells the story of Kim, the younger grandson, who is consigned to a life of wandering and vagrancy even as he struggles for recognition as a poet, who is constantly tempted to make compromises - to the point of betraying his own family - to survive as an artist and a free spirit.