The Golden Gate Bridge and Other Natural Wonders: Poems

Han Jae Lee’s first book of poetry in English begins with “Travel” and offers an immigrant’s perspective on San Francisco, New York, and other quintessentially American cities. Lee does not take for granted the luxuries that big cities in the United States provide. However, Lee looks deeper than face value as he probes the underside of life here: the emotions of the inhabitants as they go about the daily routines of their lives, oftentimes uncovering contradictions and complexities. Section two, “Love and Other Objects of Desire,” gives a whimsical and romantic vision— entering the minds of objects and things as varied as dogs and filing cabinets. And the last part of the book reveals the ruminations of someone who has spent much time in nature. “Seasons” brings us the awareness of a deep thinker, observing snow, flowers and trees, bringing the reader to a reverence and exuberance for the natural world.
Han-Jae Lee began writing poetry in 1997. He studied poetry and creative writing at Chung-Ang University and Korea University in Korea, and also in the United States, attending writing workshops at the Aptos and Campbell Public Libraries and at the Almaden Community Center in San Jose. In 2005 he won a poetry award (silver) in a national poetry contest for his work, A High-rise Apartment, given annually for an outstanding poem, sponsored by The National Assembly of Korea and The Federation of Korean Cultural Center. His first poetry collection, A High-Rise Apartment, was published in Korea in 2008. He also co-published three poetry anthologies and his poems have appeared in the magazines, Literary Movement and Trend, Literature World and Vision of Poetry (all in Korean). He has been writing poetry in English since 2004 and this poetry collection is his first book in English. He lives in both San Jose and Seoul.