South Korean literature
Encyclopedia
Novels
A representative barometer of serious fiction is provided by the choices of some contemporary authors by the Korea Literature Translation Institute (한국문학번역원, LTI Korea) for translation into English, French, German and Spanish. Among the modern authors translated by LTI are:- Gong Ji-youngGong Ji-young-Early years:Gong Ji-young is a South Korean and one of the most popular of the 'new wave' of female writers who shattered the South Korean literary establishment's glass ceiling in the 1980s and 1990s. As a teen, Gong self-published her own stories and poems, before the student movement in the...
(공지영) author of CrucibleThe Crucible (novel)The Crucible is a 2009 novel by Gong Ji-Young a well known South Korean novelist, based on an actual case of mass sexual abuse at a school for the deaf in Gwangju Inhwa, South Korea. The title was taken from Arthur Miller's eponymous play....
(도가니) and My Sister Bongsoon (봉순이 언니) - Park Kyung-niPark Kyung-niPark Kyung-ni or Pak Kyong Ni was a prominent South Korean novelist. She was born in Tongyeong, in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, and later lived in Wonju in Gangwon-do Province. Park made her literary debut in 1955, with Gyesan...
(박경리): The LandToji (novel)The Toji is a Korean saga novel written by Park Kyung-ni from June, 1968 to 1994, consisting of five volumes. The process of a yangban 's collapse and revival is set in the village of Pyeongsa-ri, Hadong county, South Gyeongsang province, Longing in Jiandao, Jinju and Seoul.Korea Literature...
(토지) 1994 - Hwang Sun-wonHwang Sun-wonHwang Sun-wŏn was a Korean short story writer, novelist, and poet. He was born while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule in Taedong, South Pyongan, in modern-day North Korea; however, following the division of Korea he lived in the South, becoming a professor at Kyunghee University.Although he...
(황순원): The Descendants of CainThe Descendants of CainThe Descendants of Cain is a novel by Hwang Sun-won .Published in 1954 in Seoul, it was instantly popular and has continued to be a steady seller ever since. It was selected by LTI Korea for translation into English and French....
(카인의 후예) 1954
- See also: Ahn Soo-kilAhn Soo-kilAhn Soo-kil was a Korean novelist and journalist who devoted much of his life to depicting the lives of the Korean settlers in Jiandao, Manchuria. He was born on November 3, 1911 in Hamhŭng, Hamgyŏngnamdo, in present-day North Korea...
(1911-1977), Jung-hyo Ahn (b.1941), Bok Geo-ilBok Geo-ilBok Geo-il is a South Korean novelist whose novels deal with Korean nationalism and science. He was born in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, in 1946. Later he attended the College of Commerce at Seoul National University, and held a variety of jobs in business. He quit his job when he was 38 years old...
(b.1946), Hwang Sok-yong (b.1943), , Kim HoonKim HoonKim Hoon is a South Korean novelist, journalist and critic. Kim was born on May 5, 1948 in Seoul, Korea. After graduating from Whimoon High School, Kim Hoon entered Korea University in 1966...
(b.1948), Kim Young-haKim Young-ha-Early years:Kim was born in Hwacheon. He moved from place to place as a child, since his father was in the military. As a child, he suffered from gas poisoning from coal gas and lost memory before ten. He was educated at Yonsei University in Seoul, majoring business administration, but he didn't...
(b.1968), Lee Dong-haLee Dong-haLee Dong-ha is a South Korean novelist. Some of the works he has authored include Toy City, a semi-autobiographical novel in three parts, and Shrapnel, a collection of short stories about post-war South Korea....
(b.1942), Lee Cheong-junLee Cheong-junLee Cheong-jun was a prominent South Korean novelist. Throughout his four decade-long career, Lee wrote more than 100 short stories, 13 novels. Lee Cheong-jun died from lung cancer at the age of 68 on July 31, 2008....
(1939-2008), Yi MunyolYi MunyolYi Munyol is a South Korean writer.He was born in Cheongun-dong of Seoul. He attended the Seoul National University, where he studied Korean Language Education. He dropped out in 1970. From 1994 to 1997, he taught Korean language and literature at Sejong University...
(b.1948), Yoo Jae-yongYoo Jae-yongYu Jae-yong is a South Korean novelist, known for his faithfulness to traditional forms and emphasis on steadfast characters. He was born in Kimhwa, Kangwon-do, during the period of Japanese rule....
(b.1936), Bang Young-ungBang Young-ungBang Young-ung is a South Korean novelist whose works focus on affectionately portraying the lives of ordinary people in contemporary South Korea. He was born in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do....
(b.1942), Yu Heaon-jongYu Heaon-jongYu Heaon-jong is a South Korean novelist whose works of dramatic historical fiction are well-known in his native country.-Biographical details:...
(b.1939), Yun Heung-gilYun Heung-gilYun Heung-gil is a South Korean novelist known for his treatment of conflicts between the individual and society. He received his degree in Korean literature from Wongwang University in 1973. In 1977 he won the Korean Literature Writers Award.Yun's career can be divided into three phases...
(b.1942), Yun Hu-myongYun Hu-myongYun Hu-myong is a South Korean writer who has published poetry, novels, and essays. He was born in the city of Gangneung in Gangwon, South Korea, under the name Yun Sang-gyu. He received his bachelor's degree from Yonsei University.Yun's novels deal with the relationship between fantasy and...
(b.1946).
- Korean-American writers writing in Korean, e.g. Kim Yong-ikKim Yong-ikKim Yong Ik , also known as Yong Ik Kim, was an early Korean-American writer, originally from South Korea, and, in particular from Tongyong...
Mass market fiction
The Korea literature market is dominated by typical mass market genres, including:- Popular novels: e.g. Jo Jung-raeJo Jung-raeJo Jung-rae is a novelist from South Korea, who is the author of the best selling novels The Taeback Mountains, Arirang, and Han River, all published by Hainaim Publishing Co., Ltd....
(b.1943), Internet novelist GuiyeoniGuiyeoniGuiyeoni is the penname of Internet novelist Lee Yoon-sae. She first reached fame with her novels He Was Cool and Romance of Their Own, which spawned commercially successful films of the same name, as with another book, A Wolf's Attraction...
, actor Cha In-PyoCha In-Pyo- TV series :- Films :- MC :* Environmental Special * Blackbox * Love for Three Days - Music Videos :* Forgiveness * Sad... * Forever... - The detective novel: e.g. Kim Ho-su (김호수) Den HaagDen Haag (novel)Den Haag is a 2008 mystery-detective historical fiction novel written by South Korean author Ho Soo Kim and published by Philmac in South Korea....
(덴하흐). - Political fiction: e.g. Kim Jin-myung (김진명)'s The Rose of Sharon Blooms AgainThe Rose of Sharon Blooms AgainThe Rose of Sharon Blooms Again was a popular South Korean novel by Kim Jin-myung written in 1993, and No.1 bestseller for several weeks in 1994 which extolls pan-Korean nationalism.-Plot:...
(무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다) and film. - Fantasy fiction: e.g. Lee YeongdoLee YeongdoLee Yeongdo is a Korean novelist known for his work in fantasy and science fiction genre. He is best known for his Dragon Raja series of fantasy novels which is also his debut work, serialised on an online forum from 1997 and published on its completion in 1998.At the time Dragon Raja was first...
(b.1972), Jeon Min-HeeJeon Min-HeeJeon Min-Hee is a Korean fantasy writer. She was born in 1975, on October 22 and graduated Konkuk University. She has received a bachelor's degree in Politics and Diplomacy. Her debut novel, The Stone of Days, part of the Arund Chronicles, was written in 1999. It appeared in a series on Nownuri,...
's Children of the runeChildren of the Rune (Korean novel)Children of the Rune is a Korean novel by Jeon Min-Hee. The novel is set in the same world found in the online video game Talesweaver, but has a different storyline. The world first appeared in a Korean online chatting program, 4Leaf. It has two parts; the first is Winterer, and the second is...
(룬의 아이들), Lee Wu-hyok (이우혁)'s The Soul Guardians (퇴마록, 退魔錄)), etc.
Poetry
List of Korean language poets (mainly 20th Century)Notable modern poets include Moon Deok-soo (문덕수, 文德守, b.1928)), Choi Nam-son
Choi Nam-son
Choi Nam-son was a Korean poet early in the twentieth century. According to the authority on Korean poetry, Brother Anthony, Choi's 1908 poem, From the Sea to a Boy, ushered in a new, vernacular form, starting a trend that is designated the new poetry.-References:Brother Anthony, "Korean...
(1890–1957) (최남선) and Kim Sowol
Kim Sowol
Kim Sowol is most famous for his contributions to early modern Korean poetry. Throughout his life he wrote his beautifully poignant poetry in a style reminiscent of traditional Korean folk songs. "Azaleas" is one of his most famous poems...
(김소월).
Drama
- This article does not cover Japanese language writers with South Korean citizenship such as Miri YuMiri YuMiri Yu is a Zainichi Korean playwright, novelist, and essayist. Yu writes in Japanese, her native language, but is a citizen of South Korea.Yu was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, to Korean parents...
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