By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Brother Anthony, professor emeritus of the English department of Sogang University, also known by his Korean name An Son-jae, received the Og-Gwan Order of Culture Merit from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The award ceremony was held to mark the 2008 Culture Day at the Cheongju Arts Center, North Chungcheong Province over the weekend.

An was given the honor for his contribution to Korean literature through his various translations, which promote Korean culture to the world.

Born in Cornwall, Britain, An has been a naturalized Korean citizen since 1994. He studied medieval and modern languages at Queen's College, Oxford University and has taught medieval English literature at Sogang since 1980.

An is widely known as a noted translator of contemporary Korean literature into English. He has published more than 20 books, mostly the work of poets such as Ku Sang (1919-2004), Kim Kwang-kyu, Ko Un and Mah Chong-gi.

In recent years, he has been also serving as a judge for the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards.

Also, late poet Kim Yun-sik better known as Kim Young-rang (1902-1950) was posthumously given the Geum-Gwan Order of Culture Merit.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr