Introduction to Korean Literature: Authors & Resources
An Introduction to Korean Literature with Poets, Legends, and Prose Writers.
A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Korean Literature
Korean literature is something that I absolutely love to delve into because there’s a lot of darker, more philosophical themes that the Western tradition doesn’t touch upon. There’s always this hint of sadness in Korean literature, especially in regards to pieces that were made from the Japanese colonial rule to now. Korea, as a country, has gone through so much trauma in the past century, and this really reflects in the stylistic and content choices writers are making in regards to their works of prose and poetry.
I thought to start making country guides for literature because I personally am like “Oh no! Where do I start?” and want context about the country and its history before diving deep into the books that are being produced. It’s also a shame that often, we don’t get a lot of translated works from Korean authors, especially the upcoming new ones. We often get the writers that have established themselves in the literary scene, as well as ones who won awards. Often, when looking for very specific poets I had heard about, I can’t find a lot about them, because nothing has been translated.
Let’s delve into the context of Korean history first. This is a lesson that is important when understanding the concept of generational trauma in South Korea.
Korean History: An Overview
While the history of the Korean peninsula is large and has so much depth to it, this isn’t a history lesson. Here is an overview of Korean history that you may need to know if you’re wanting context to events that have occurred, especially in regards to the postcolonial era.
The first major Kingdom era in Korean history is the Three Kingdoms. On the peninsula, as you may guess, there were three kingdoms: Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. In the late 600s, Silla conquered the other two kingdoms and the region became a unified Silla. Two hundred years later, Silla has divided again, and Goryeo was the ruler of the land, where civil service laws were created and Buddhism became more widespread in the region.
A coup overthrew Goryeo in 1388, and the Joseon Dynasty came into power. The peninsula was under Joseon rule until 1897 when the Korean Empire was established, but they were then annexed by the Japanese in 1910. The Japanese had tried to conquer Korea multiple times throughout history, especially in the 1500s and 1600s. They had failed at conquering the land until 1910.
Japanese colonial rule was bitter and violent. Koreans were no longer allowed to speak Korean and would be killed, tortured, or imprisoned if caught speaking their native language. Essentially, they tried to eradicate Korean culture completely. Environmental and sexual exploitation of Korean women also occurred in this era. Koreans resisted actively against Japanese occupation, leading to rebellions such as the March 1st Movement.
When Korea was liberated after WWII, the Allies split the nation in two, leading to the conflict that became the Korean War. The North was being helped by the Soviet Union, while the South was having support from the United States. Not even five years after the end of the occupation, the Korean War broke out, opening another tragic and traumatic chapter in Korean history.
South Korea, upon the end of the war, was left ruined and its people poor. In 1961, a military coup occurred, installing dictator Park Chung-hee into the main position of power. His regime was brutal and full of censorship, torture, and murder until he was assassinated in 1978. Korea would begin a series of dictatorships until the mid-1990s when the first democratically elected leader was nominated to government. During this era, tragedies such as the Gwangju Massacre left their mark on Korean history.
Korea has been in democracy for over twenty years now, but with the rapid modernization of the country, it has become an economic powerhouse. Still, the wounds of its recent history and trauma still linger in the country, as comfort women still live as well as those with Japanese passports.
Korean Literary History: An Overview
Classic Korean literature lies in the folktales and songs sung on the Penninsula, as well as local legends. In regards to fiction, it’s classified as Korean fiction written under Chinese (as Koreans used a more Chinese-based system originally and hanja) and literature that has been written in what has become modern-day Korean language.
Much of classical Korean literature is told through Pansori, traditional dance, puppet shows, and mask plays. Often characters had their own archetypes and would be defined by region, subject matter, and who was in it (were there men? women?). As these were oral traditions, they had to be passed down from generation to generation, lest they be lost forever to history.
The first compilation of Korean literature in the Korean language was Yongbi eocheonga, which was made during the early Joseon era. As Kim Se-jeong, the creator of hangul, or the modern Korean script, developed the system, this book was written.
Modern Korean literature is known to have developed with the fall of the Joseon era. Writers originally tried to write happy tales to shift their minds to something other than their misery under Japanese rule, but, by the 1920s, became more pessimistic in their suffering and thus their topic and subjects shifted. Writers were often censored by the Japanese occupiers, and their work used against them in prosecution. As many shifted to the independence movement, writers were targeted specifically.
This is something prominent until recently in South Korea: the idea of censorship. Artists, especially writers, faced strict censorship on what could and couldn’t be depicted.
Notable Authors of Prose (Fiction/Nonfiction)
Kim Young-ha is a novelist known for existentialist themes of modern-day societies.
Shin Kyung-sook gained critical acclaim for her novel Please Look After Mom, and has since written several more novels.
Han Kang has stormed onto the scene in recent years. Most famous for her novel The Vegetarian, she has reached critical acclaim for every novel she’s released since her debut.
Hwang Sok-young is a novelist that focuses on very distinct themes, ones inspired by his time as a soldier in war.
Bae Suah is an acclaimed novelist and short-story writer.
Gong Ji-young is a novelist whose work has had a major impact on reform in South Korea.
Pak Kyongni is known for her 16-part trilogy that recounted the history of Korea.
Chung Sarang is a recent author who dabbles in the genre of sci-fi and fantasy.
Yi Kwang-su was a prominent revolutionary activist and writer.
Choe Yun debuted in the literary world at a later age but still has made her impact in contemporary Korean literature.
Choe Nam-seon was active during the independence movement but was also an author.
Notable Authors of Poetry
Yi Sang is one of the most important figures in the past century. He was active during the colonial era.
Kim Hye-soon is a feminist poet who has been integral to contemporary Korean poetry.
Jeong Ji-young was a poet and translator who was an important figure in bringing English poetry into Korea, as well as fostering the local Modernist movement.
Ko Un is another widely translated poet, one who has been active in the scene for decades.
Na Hye-seok was a feminist poet and painter. She was disgraced from society because of her divorce and outspoken feminism, but her legacy lives on today.
Kim Myung-seon was a novelist and poet active during the colonial era.
Notable Forms of Literature (Legends, Theatre, etc.)
Kim Manjung was a Korean scholar who wrote the classic Cloud of the Dream Nine.
Han Mu-sook was a dramatist and novelist, but she made her splash originally in theatre.
Oh Tae-seok is a playwright and director that distinctly writes and portrays everyday Korean life.
The pansori legends of Chunhyangga were also a classic novel: Chunhyangjeon.
Kim Si-seup wrote the first classic work of fiction in Korean literature.
Pansori is a method of singing, combined with drumming and dance, where a legend or story is sung completely through narrative verse.
Resources for Korean Literature
Literature Translation Institute of Korea offers opportunities to translate Korean literature, as well as a YouTube channel and resources with subtitles to enjoy interviews with Korean authors.
Korean Literature Now translates Korean works, whether they are new authors or established ones. Interviews are also provided at times.
