- Kim Dong-in
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Kim Dong-in Born October 2, 1900 Died January 5, 1951 (aged 50) Pen name Geumdong, Chunsa, Kim Sieodim Occupation Novelist Nationality South Korea Period 1900-1951 Kim Dong-in (1900–1951) (Hangul: 김동인) was a South Korean writer.
Contents
Life
Kim Dong-in, born on October 2, 1900 in Pyeongyang, Pyeongannam-do was a pioneer of realism and naturalism in Modern Korean literature. A son of a wealthy landowner, like many other young Korean intellectuals Kim took his higher education in Japan, attending the Meiji Academy in Tokyo and entering the Kawabata School of Fine Arts.[1] Kim dropped out when he decided to pursue writing as a career.[2] In Japan in 1919, Kim and other advocates for "art-for-art's-sake-literature," launched the influential but transitory journal Creation (Changjo) along with Joo Yohan, Jeon Yeongtaek, Choi Seungman, and Kim Hwan.[2] Creation took a stand against the didactic literature ("national literature" to put it another way) proposed by Yi Kwang-su,[3] In Creation[4] Kim published his debut story, “The Sorrows of the Weak” (Yakhanjaui seulpeum). In 1925, Kim published one of his most famous works, Potatoes, which was a breakthrough in Korean "realist" fiction and a further salvo in his ongoing literary war with Yi Kwang-su.[5]
Kim lived an extravagant lifestyle (based on the inheritance received from his father) until 1930, at which point his finances began to fail. Kim's financial situation led him to depression and drug abuse.[2] Until this point Kim had been a purist (colloquial and realistic)[3] but he now turned to popular serials, which he had previously spurned. Among these were a number of historical novels (listed below). In 1934, Kim published, somewhat ironically considering their different stances on literature, the first in-depth study of Yi Gwang-su, "A Study of Chunwon” (Chunwon yeongu); in 1935, Kim launched the monthly magazine Yadam.[2]
In 1939, still poor and now ill, Kim joined Park Yong-hui, Lim Hak-su and others in a visit to Manchuria that was sponsored by the Consolation of the North Chinese Imperial Army. This was clearly an act of collaboration and is regarded, even today in Korea, as a mark on his literary career.[2] In 1942, however, Kim was jailed on charges of lese-majesty against the Emperor of Japan.[2]
In 1946, after Korean liberation, Kim was critical in forming the Pan-Korea Writers Association which countered other organizations promoting proletarian literature.[2]
In the years that followed, Kim published stories, including "The Traitor” (Banyeokja, 1946) and “Man Without a Nation” (Manggugingi, 1947). These works, ironically, provided a sharp critique of Lee Gwang-su and other writers who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation.[2] On January 5, 1951, Kim died at his home in Seoul.
In 1955, the magazine World of Thoughts (Sasanggye) created the Dong-in Literary Award to commemorate Kim's literary achievements.[2]
Work
Works in English
- "Potatoes" in Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology
- "The Rock" in Meetings and Farewells: Modern Korean Stories
- The Post Horse in Meetings and Farewells: Modern Korean Stories
- "The Red Hills: A Doctor's Diary" in Modern Korean Short Stories
- "The Seaman's Chant" in The Rainy Spell and Other Korean Stories
- "The Photograph and the Letter" in A Ready-Made Life: Early Masters of Modern Korean Fiction
Works in Korean (Partial)
Historical Novels:
- The Young Ones (Jeolmeun geudeul, 1930–1931)
- Spring at Unhyeongung Palace (Unhyeongungui bom, 1933)
- The Decline of the Dynasty (Wangbuui nakjo, 1935)
- Great Prince Suyang (Dae Suyang, 1941)
Collections:
- Life (Moksum, 1924)
- Potato (1935)
- Short Stories of Kim Dong-in (Kim Dong-in danpyeonjip, 1939)
- The Sunset of the Palace (1941)
- Roaming (Baehoe, 1941)
- Identical Toes (Balgaragi dalmatda, 1948)
References
- ^ The Rainy Spell and Other Korean Stories. Suh Ji-Moon - editor, Chi-mun So - author. M. E. Sharpe. NY. Publication 1998. Page Number: 10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i http://www.klti.or.kr/AuthorApp
- ^ a b Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology, p. 13
- ^ Creating New Paradigms of Womanhood in Modern Korean Literature: Na Hye-Sok's "Kyonghui". Contributors: Yung-Hee Kim, Korean Studies. 26:1. 2002. Page Number: 1+. University of Hawaii Press
- ^ Kim Tong-in /World of Naturalism. In Korea Journal (Vol.10 No.6 June 1970 pp.31~33)
External links
Categories:- 1900 births
- 1951 deaths
- South Korean writers
- South Korean novelists
- South Korean poets
- People from Pyongyang
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