Agent of Misfortune

UPDATED FOR THE SEOUL BOOK FAIR

Let the romanization gnomes,
unfettered, lethal, run and roam.
Get dirty, down and flatly physical
to find and kill each diacritical!
To bring Korean fiction fame?
Please give each author just one name!

Do we want re-unification?
For author names AND for the nation!
Or do we want this tangled ball
in which the names we have to call
Korean authors are a’sprawl
and innocent readers have to trawl
4 different spellings and to brawl
with romanization to read at all?

Would Park Wan-so’s fiction still not linger
If typed by Park Wan-Suh’s index finger?
And would we say her genius wasn’t so,
If her name were really Park Wan-seo?
McCune and Reischauer (are those real names?)
Would certainly question her skill and fame
She’s not a genius, can’t be, No!
Unless her name is Pak Wansŏ!

So let the Romanization gnomes,
unfettered, lethal, run and roam.
Get dirty, down and finally physical
to find and kill each diacritical!
To bring Korean fiction rightful fame?
Please give each author just one name!