She made her literary debut when her poem “Seoure saneun pyeongganggongju” (서울에 사는 평강공주 Princess Pyeonggang Living in Seoul) won the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer's Contest in 1990.
[1] Her first poetry collection of the same name, published in 1991, was received well by critics and readers for the compassion and subtlety in her writing.
[2] Park went on to publish Seojeongui chu (서정의 추 The Pendulum of Lyricism) in 1993, Saengbam kkajuneun saram (생밤 까주는 사람 Someone Who Peels Raw Chestnuts For Me) in 1993, Chumchuneun namja siseuneun yeoja (춤추는 남자 시쓰는 여자 He Dances, She Writes Poetry) in 1995, Neoege sedeureo saneun dongan (너에게 세들어 사는 동안 While I Am Your Tenant) in 1996, Gongjungsogeui nae jeongwon (공중 속의 내 정원 My Garden in the Air) in 2000, Uju doragasyeotda (우주 돌아가셨다 The Universe Has Passed Away) in 2006, Bicheui saseoham (빛의 사서함 Postbox of Light) in 2009, and Norangnabiro beonjineun ohu (노랑나비로 번지는 오후 The Afternoon Seeping into a Yellow Butterfly) in 2012.
[4] Recurring themes in Park Ra Yeon’s poetry include poverty, loneliness, sadness, pain, and parting.
Literary critic Oh Saeng-geun writes: “Her poetry is founded on a rich supply of tears and sadness, but far from being tragic or pathetic, it provides fertile ground for a beautiful and healthy vitality.”[5] In Park’s poetry, pain always leads to hope, and her personas find new love in spite of their scars.
Her poems do not exaggerate emotions or thoughts, using simple and natural language.
They show a positive attitude toward life and the world based on the faith that there is a divine power.
[6] On her 2012 poetry collection Norangnabiro beonjineun ohu (노랑나비로 번지는 오후 The Afternoon Seeping into a Yellow Butterfly), poet Shin Kyeong-nim observes that “Park’s work combines the familiar sensibilities of traditional Korean lyric poetry with the Modernist thirst for something new.”[7] Poetry Collections 1.
“The Tension Between Internal Transcendence and External Transcendence.” Poem Sijak, Spring 2008 Issue.
“The World of Harmony and the Start of the Consolation Game.” Poem Sijak, Winter 2015 Issue.