The grammar of ‘Crow’s Eye View’
Published: 03 Apr. 2025, 00:05
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
Lee Woo Young
The author is an HCMC distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.
I first met “him” in a small cafe in Salt Lake City. It had been years since we’d exchanged messages. His stories carried the unmistakable fragrance of literature — so much so that it was hard to believe he was a mathematician. He was a native of Dublin, Ireland, and a leading authority in the field of spectral theory. His writing was difficult to decipher, and as I had expected, so was his communication.
At one point, we co-authored a paper and submitted it to an academic journal. Some time later, the editor requested revisions. The changes were minor — purely grammatical. But he flatly refused. Unless the paper was published as it was, he said, he would withdraw the submission. The editor stood firm, citing editorial policy.
I couldn’t help but wonder how that standoff would end. After all, I too had had my share of minor clashes with him over grammar.
In Yi Sang’s experimental poem “Crow’s Eye View,” there’s a line that reads, “13childrenarerunningontotheroad.” No spaces. It was intentional. One wonders what kind of claustrophobic world Yi Sang must have seen to write that way. My colleague reminded me of him. For him, mathematics was a form of poetry — an ode to nature.
Experimental poem of Korean poet Yi Sang (1910-1937) ″Crow’s Eye View″ manuscript. [YEONGIN LITERARY MUSEUM}
His writing rendered even the grammar radicalism in “Crow’s Eye View” tame. He often ignored spacing in both sentences and equations, and he deliberately wrote phrases that were open to multiple interpretations. He longed to liberate himself from ossified language. He rejected the idea of binding nature in the shackles of grammar. After all, in his eyes, nature itself was fundamentally ungrammatical.
The literary giant James Joyce, also from Dublin, lends credence to his stance. Joyce’s “Ulysses” (1922) stands as a monument to breaking free from grammatical constraint. When one escapes the tyranny of grammar, the inner voice can be heard.
Korean poet Yi Sang.
Their editorial standoff didn’t last long. The intrinsic freedom of mathematics led to a beautiful conclusion: the journal editor relented. And as he did, he left behind a remark that has stayed with me ever since: “In truth, our thinking is essentially the same.”
Recalling that moment, I found myself thinking about how deeply divided our own society has become — locked in endless clashes over the “grammar” of thought.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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