By a nominee for the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature



Pain often demands silence. But some poets defy that silence with language. When tears become words, words become sentences, and those sentences bear witness to an era, we call such poetry prophecy.

Exclamation Mark of Tears is a collection of such prophetic poems. It is not a mere stream of emotion, but a language of hope born at the edge of despair-a literary compass asking new questions in a collapsed world.

This poetry collection confronts today's global crises without turning away: war, climate catastrophe, pandemics, poverty, broken relationships, and digital fatigue. Yet its gaze is not cynical or resigned. Rather, each poem is an inward response, an act of will to live again. These verses choose outcry over silence, resolution over despair, and ask each reader: "What did you see-and what did you choose to ignore?"

Exclamation Mark of Tears is not a simple elegy. It is insight beyond weeping, poetic moments where tears are punctuated with exclamation.

Wansoo Kim holds a PhD in English literature and is an essayist and a recipient of multiple literary awards, including the World Peace Literature Prize, the Hwang Geum-Chan Poetry Literature Award, and the Tagore Memorial Literary Honours. His poetry collections include Flowers of Gratitude, Captive of Crazy Love, and Teachings of Mother Nature. His poems have been published in literary magazines or anthologies in twenty-seven countries, such as the United States, India, Mexico, Chile, Belgium, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, England, and China.