Art Aeon

Art Aeon is a pen name of Myong Geun Yoon, born in 1939 in Seoul, Korea. He studied physics (BSc in Physics, Seoul National University, 1962). He came to the University of California, Berkeley in1965. Under the inspiring guidance of Profs. H.B. Barlow, G.S. Stent and O. Chamberlain, he completed a PhD in Biophysics in 1969. He pursued his postdoctoral work in Brain Research (1969-1972) in Prof. R. W. Sperry’s lab at Caltech. In 1972, he moved to Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Canada as a member of the Science Faculty. Since retiring from Dalhousie University in 2003, he has devoted himself to creative writing and publishing books under the pen name Art Aeon. He has established a small, independent publisher AEON PRESS, in Halifax, Canada.

Art Aeon's published books may be grouped into the following five genres:

[A] Simple Poems on Nature: The author sings of the magnificent beauty, mysterious intimacy, and sublime spirituality of nature in the thematic collections of his simple, short poems: “Flowing with Seasons,” “Hymn to the Canadian Rockies,” “Hymn to the Range of Light,” “Snowflakes on Old Pines,” “Hymn to Sea,” "Yosemite: Images and Echoes" and “Hymns to Nature.”

[B] Narrative Poems on Classic Themes: Based on the classic texts (in various English translations) of the philosophical and poetic literature of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome, the author imagines creative variations on the classic narratives from the perspective of a modern scientist: “Musing on Dao [道]”, “Socrates’ Eternal Dialogue on Death, Wisdom and Virtue,” “Human Conscience Transcends Prophecy of Fate: Following Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus,” “Dù Fǔ’s [杜 甫] Final Day with a Devout Pilgrim,” and “Virgil’s Revealing Dream of Aeneas and Homers.”

[C] Musing on Homeric Epics: The author has toiled over three decades to transform The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer into a coherent trilogy in the syllabic tercet stanzas: “Continuing Odysseus and Penelope’s Story: Poetic Trilogy on Homeric Epics {1},” “Exploring the Enigma of the Trojan War: Poetic Trilogy on Homeric Epics {2}” and “Striving for Meaningful Lives: Poetic Trilogy on Homeric Epics {3}.”

[D] Reflection on Modern Scientific Discoveries in the Mode of Dante's Divine Comedy: Eventually, the author returned to scientific topics and pursued writing a soul-searching epic (inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy) on the simple yet profound scientific fact: Humankind is a recent product of the long, natural evolution of life on planet Earth. Now, humans are studying the universal principles of nature and their own mystery in nature. He needed virtual Dante to guide him in "Commedia Humano," a trilogy, looking into Nature's Mysterious Drama: “Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante in a Dream”, “The Natural Emergence of Humankind” and “Humans’ Study on the Universal Principles of Nature”

[E] Memoirs and Self-Reflection. “Tribute to Mentors and Friends: Studying Sciences {1965-1981}”, “Pilgrimage into Classics: INNER VOICE {1987-1999},” “Writing Simple Poems on Nature: INNER VOICE {2000-2007},” “Writing Narrative Poems on Classical Themes: INNER VOICE {2008-2014}” and “Musing on Homeric Epics: INNER VOICE {2015-2020}.” Soul-Searching Songs of an Inner Voice is still in progress.

Heart and soul, the author thanks the sacred freedom to sing what he has toiled into simple, soul-searching songs to appease his heart and inspire his spirit.