Pioneer of translating Korean literature to spread Korean culture around the world

Kim Ji Soo

The bookshelves in Brother Anthony’s crowded workspace in western Seoul near Sogang University now have more space – a lot more – than when this writer last visited more than a decade ago.

“About two years ago I donated about 1,000 books to Oxford University,” he says.

Sogang University is where Brother Anthony taught for more than two decades after arriving in Korea in 1980.

He studied at Oxford University from 1960 to 1969, receiving a doctorate in medieval and modern languages.

He also spent nearly 10 years promoting reconciliation as a member of the Community of Taizé, an ecumenical monastic community in the French region of Burgundy.