# Claudia Lee Hae-in

Claudia Lee Hae-in (Korean: 이해인, born 7 June 1945) is a South Korean Catholic nun, poet, and essayist. She has sold almost two million copies of her books of poetry and been regarded as "Korea's next contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature."

## Biography

Lee Hae-in was born on 7 June 1945, in Yanggu County, Gangwon to Catholic parents, Lee Dae-young and Kim Sun-ok. Three days after she was born, she was baptized Catholic with the name Velladetta. At a very young age, she displayed immense literary talent. At the outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950, her father was detained and taken to North Korea and the remaining family were forced to flee to Busan, South Korea.
After completing her secondary education, she entered religious life in 1964 as an Olivetan Benedictine Sister in Busan. She pronounced her first vows in 1968 and perpetual vows in 1976. She graduated with a degree in English from the Saint Louis University in Baguio, Philippines.
From 1992 to 1997, she was appointed as the General-Secretary of her order in Korea. She was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2008, and after receiving medical treatments, has returned to good health. In 2015, fake news spread on the internet claiming the nun had died, which she jokingly ignored by saying, "I could forgive the fake news, but I can't go easy on the fake poem."
She had solid friendship with the poet Park Wan-suh and the Venerable Buddhist monk Beopjeong, whom she both noted as having greatly influenced her in life and works.

## Writing
### Poetry

Lee made her debut as a poet with the poem "Flower Shovel" in the Catholic Journal Soyeon in 1970. The poem was a conversation with a natural occurrence based on her daily experiences. Her reputation as a poet grew following the publication in 1976 of her first collection of poems titled, The Land of Dandelions. She became known for her works because of its clarity and simplicity, and its usage of plain Korean language with deep-seated messages and meanings which makes the readers reflect.
Other inspiring collections of Lee's poetry and essays include; Light a Fire in My Soul (1979), The Face of Time (1989), A Little Prayer (2011), Happiness of Waiting (2018) and As If Leaves Are Seen After Flowers Fall (2011). Her poem "The Love Song of a Dandelion" which is a reflection on both consolation and hope appeared in Korean middle school text books.
From 1998 to 2002, she carried out her missionary works through a literary forum called "Hae-in's Writing Room" and delivered a series of lectures in various parts of the country on the theme "Poetry and Spirituality in Life."

## Awards and recognitions

She has received six awards for her outstanding contributions to literature:
* 1981: New Sprouts Literary Award
* 1985: Donga Women's Prize
* 1985: Busan Women's Literature Award
* 2004: Woollim Arts Award
* 2006: Cheong Sang-beong Literary Award
* 2016: Gumin Award
In recent years, Lee has been regarded as Korea's likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, along with the authors Ko Un, Kim Hyesoon and Hwang Sok-yong.

## Publications

From an early age, Lee Hae-in was passionate about writing and as a Catholic nun explored the significant connections between poetry and spirituality. She has published 18 collections of poetry, 12 books on essays and 6 anthologies of her poems, which are included in high school textbooks.

### Poetry collections

| Year | Original title | English title | Publisher |
| 1976 | 민들레의 영토 | The Land of Dandelions | Catholic Books Publishing |
| 1979 | 내 혼에 불을 놓아 | Light A Fire in my Soul | Bundo Books |
| 1983 | 오늘은 내가 반달로 떠도 | If I Rise as a Half-Moon Today | Bundo Books |
| 1989 | 시간의 얼굴 | The Face of Time | Bundo Books |
| 1992 | 엄마와 분꽃 | Mommy and the Sunflower | Bundo Books |
| 1999 | 외딴 마을의 빈집이 되고 싶다 | To Be an Empty House in a Secluded Village | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 1999 | 다른 옷은 입을 수가 없네 | I Can't Wear Other Clothes | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 2002 | 작은 위로 | Small Comfort | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 2007 | 작은 기쁨 | Small Joy | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 2008 | 엄마 | Mom | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2010 | 희망은 깨어있네 | Hope Is Awake | Mind Walk Books |
| 2011 | 작은기도 | A Little Prayer | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 2013 | 이해인 시전집 | Hae-in Lee Poems | Literary Thought |
| 2014 | 필 때도 질 때도 동백꽃처럼 | Like a Camelia When It Blooms and Withers | Mind Walk Books |
| 2015 | 서로 사랑하면 언제라도 봄 | Whenever We Love Each Other, It's Always Spring | Yellimul Publishing |
| 2019 | 친구에게 | To a Friend | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2022 | 꽃잎 한 장처럼 | Like a Single Petal | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2023 | 인생의 열 가지 생각 | Ten Thoughts on Life | Mind Walk Books |

### Essays

| Year | Original title | English title | Publisher |
| 1986 | 두레박 | Durebak | Bundo Books |
| 1994 | 꽃삽 | Flower Shovel | Samtoh Publishing |
| 1997 | 사랑할 땐 별이 되고 | When You Love, You Become a Star | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2002 | 향기로 말을 거는 꽃처럼 | Like a Flower That Speaks With Its Scents | Spring Co. |
| 2004 | 기쁨이 열리는 창 | The Window Where Happiness Rests | Mind Walk Books |
| 2006 | 풀꽃 단상 | Flower Pots | Bundo Books |
| 2006 | 사랑은 외로운 투쟁 | Love Is A Lonely Struggle | Mind Walk Books |
| 2011 | 꽃이 지고 나면 잎이 보이듯이 | As If Leaves Are Seen After Flowers Fall | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2018 | 고운 마음 꽃이 되고 고운 말은 빛이 되고 | A Kind Heart Becomes a Flower, A Kind Word Becomes a Light | Spring Co. |
| 2018 | 기다리는 행복 | Happiness of Waiting | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2019 | 그 사랑 놓치지 마라 | Don't Miss That Love | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2020 | 이해인의 말 | Lee Hae-in's Words | Mind Walk Books |

### Anthologies

| Year | Original title | English title | Publisher |
| 1993 | 사계절의 기도 | Prayer of the Four Seasons | Bundo Books |
| 2000 | 고운새는 어디 숨었을까 | Where Did the Beautiful Bird Hide? | Samtoh Publishing |
| 2001 | 여행 중 | On a Journey | Pagusa Publishing |
| 2005 | 눈꽃 아가 | Snowflake Baby | Yolimwon Publishing |
| 2006 | 꽃은 흩어지고 그리움은 모이고 | Flowers Scatter and Longing Gathers | Bundo Books |
| 2013 | 나를 키우는 말 | Words That Lifted Me | Poet's Though Books |