Kim Chi Ha, the South Korean poet long imprisoned for opposition to his government, was released from jail on December 11. His precarious health and the fear that he might be rearrested at any time (as happened after his “pardon” in 1974) temper one’s relief at this good news. It will be important for international public opinion to maintain vigilance on his behalf.

I have written elsewhere about Kim Chi Ha's poet ry,* which is a powerful contribution to world literature,- and readers might remember that Muriel Rukeyser wrote of him, in the prefatory note to her last major work, The Gates. “The poet has written his stinging work—like that of Burns or Brecht— and it has got under the skin of the highest officials.” (In 1975, as president of American PEN, Rukeyser undertook a journey to Seoul in the hope of securing Kim Chi Has release by personally appealing to various officials, including cabinet ministers and the cardinal The attempt failed.) With The Middle Hour and The Gold Crowned Jesus and Other Writings** Kim Chi Has validity as a poet is well established. What I'd like to speak of here is his politics.