Poet and scholar of Korean literature; a poet of the Cheongnokpa (Blue Deer School)
| Life | 1920 ~ 1968 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 한양 조씨 |
Jo Ji-hun (趙芝薰, 1920-1968) was a poet and scholar of Korean literature, born Jo Dong-tak (趙東卓), with the pen name Jihun. Of the Hanyang Jo clan, he was born in Jusil village, the clan village in Jugok-ri, Ilwol-myeon, Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang; his birthplace, Hoeun Head House, is a designated Gyeongbuk monument. His father was Jo Heon-yeong, a member of the Constituent and Second National Assemblies, and his great-grandfather the righteous-army leader Jo Seung-gi.
Self-taught through middle school, he graduated from Hyehwa College (now Dongguk University). He debuted in 1939 when 'Gopung Uisang' and 'Seungmu' (The Monk's Dance) were recommended in the journal Munjang, and with Park Mok-wol and Park Du-jin formed the nature-oriented 'Cheongnok' (Blue Deer) school, publishing the joint collection Cheongnokjip in 1946. His poetry, steeped in nature, shamanism and Zen, gave profound form to tradition and Buddhist sensibility in works such as 'Seungmu', 'Nakhwa' and 'Bonghwangsu'. Unlike the other Cheongnok poets, he is said to have long kept his early nature-centered world. He received the Free Literature Prize in 1956.
After liberation he taught at Gyeonggi Girls' High School and Dongguk University and from 1947 was a professor at Korea University, heading its Institute of Korean Culture from 1963. He represented Korea at the International Poetry Biennial in Belgium in 1961 and led the Korean Poets' Association in 1967. His works include the collections Pullip Danjang, Before History and Yeoun, the essays Leaning on the Window, On Integrity (Jijoron) and The Aesthetics of Stone, and studies such as An Introduction to Korean Cultural History and A History of the Korean National Movement. 'On Integrity' (1960), rebuking political turncoats, became especially famous. He died on 17 May 1968 at 48 and was posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit (Gold Crown) in 1982. His third son Jo Tae-yeol later served as Foreign Minister.