North Korean literature
Encyclopedia
The partition of Korea following the Second World War led to a considerable cross-border movement, which included writers moving from North to South or from South to North.
North Korea's subsequent literary tradition was shaped and controlled by the State. "Guidelines for Juche
Literature" published by the official Choson Writers' Alliance [조선 작가 동맹] emphasised that literature must extoll the country's leader, Kim Il-sung
, and, later, Kim Jong-il
. Only members of the Writers' Alliance are authorised to have their works published.
era. Several Soviet Koreanologists published studies on DPRK literature and translations in Russian. Among the novelists translated into Russian and Chinese were:
Works published in Choson Munhak, the Choson Writers' Alliance's monthly literary journal, are accessible in South Korea and elsewhere.
, the world has not heard from them yet". In 2006, Words Without Borders
included the works of four North Korean writers, translated into English
, in its anthology
Literature from the "Axis of Evil"
. Kang Kwi-mi's short story "A Tale of Music", published in Choson Munhak in February 2003, tells the tale of a young Zainichi
Korean who discovers he is skilled at playing the trombone
, moves to North Korea
, and relinquishes music in favour of stonemasonry
. His passion for the "music" of stones is caused by the greatness of Kim Jong-il as expressed through stone monuments. Lim Hwa-won's short story "The Fifth Photograph" is told from the perspective of a North Korean woman who visits post-Soviet
Russia
in the early 1990s
, and finds a country in a state of moral turmoil for having turned its back on socialism
. The narrator blames insidious American influence for Russia's woes, and emphasises the need for strong ideological commitment in North Korea. Byungu Chon's poem "Falling Persimmons" evokes the emotional suffering caused by the partition of Korea, and hopes for reunification
.
The anthology also contains an excerpt from Hong Seok-jung
's 2002 novel Hwangjini, which received the Manhae Literary Prize - the first time the South Korean literary award had been conferred upon a North Korean writer. Hwangjini is a historical novel set in the sixteenth century
.
North Korean writers
by Tatiana Gabroussenko; ISBN 9780824833961
North Korea's subsequent literary tradition was shaped and controlled by the State. "Guidelines for Juche
Juche
Juche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
Literature" published by the official Choson Writers' Alliance [조선 작가 동맹] emphasised that literature must extoll the country's leader, Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
, and, later, Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
. Only members of the Writers' Alliance are authorised to have their works published.
North Korean writers abroad
The DPRK Ministry of Culture promoted North Korean literature in Russia and China during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era. Several Soviet Koreanologists published studies on DPRK literature and translations in Russian. Among the novelists translated into Russian and Chinese were:
- Ri Ki-YongRi Ki-YongRi Ki-Yong was a DPRK novelist.-Works:*Seohwa〈서화〉*Ingan suop〈인간수업〉*Kohyang 〈고향〉Home village 1934*Shin gaeji〈신개지〉「新開地」 Newly ploughed land serialised...
(리기영 李箕永, 1895~1984). - Hong Myong-HuiHong Myong-huiHong Myong-hui was a Korean novelist during the colonial period, and then a North Korean novelist.He was born in Dongbu-ri, Goesan county, Chungcheongbuk-do where he took part in the 3.1 Movement in 1919. For a while in the 1920s, he served as an editor of the Donga Ilbo...
(洪命熹) (1888—1968) writer of Im Kkokjong (임꺽정) based on the life of the Korean nationalist hero Im Kkokjong (d.1562). - Han Sorya author of the novella Jackals (1951).
Works published in Choson Munhak, the Choson Writers' Alliance's monthly literary journal, are accessible in South Korea and elsewhere.
Contemporary literature
As Ha-yun Jung puts it, "[i]f there is an underground network of dissident writers secretly circulating their writings under the watchful eyes of the Workers' PartyWorkers Party of North Korea
The Workers Party of North Korea was a communist party in North Korea, a predecessor of the current Workers Party of Korea. It was founded at a congress on August 28–30, 1946, by the merger of the North Korea Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea and the New People's Party. Kim Tu-bong, the...
, the world has not heard from them yet". In 2006, Words Without Borders
Words Without Borders
Words Without Borders is an international magazine opened to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the world’s best writing and authors who are not easily accessible to English-speaking readers....
included the works of four North Korean writers, translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, in its anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Literature from the "Axis of Evil"
Literature from the "Axis of Evil"
Literature from the "Axis of Evil" is an anthology of short stories, poems and excerpts from novels by twenty writers from seven countries, translated into English , and published by Words Without Borders in 2006....
. Kang Kwi-mi's short story "A Tale of Music", published in Choson Munhak in February 2003, tells the tale of a young Zainichi
Zainichi
Zainichi is a Japanese term meaning " residing in Japan," used often to point out Zainichi Koreans.*Zainichi Korean or Zainichi Chōsenjin or Zainichi Kankokujin .*Zainichi Gaikokujin , meaning "foreigner in Japan".*Zainichi Beigun...
Korean who discovers he is skilled at playing the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, moves to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, and relinquishes music in favour of stonemasonry
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
. His passion for the "music" of stones is caused by the greatness of Kim Jong-il as expressed through stone monuments. Lim Hwa-won's short story "The Fifth Photograph" is told from the perspective of a North Korean woman who visits post-Soviet
History of post-Soviet Russia
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 29 May 1991, the Russian Federation became an independent country.Russia was the largest of the fifteen republics that made up the Soviet Union, accounting for over 60% of the gross domestic product and over 50% of the Soviet population. Russians also...
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, and finds a country in a state of moral turmoil for having turned its back on socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. The narrator blames insidious American influence for Russia's woes, and emphasises the need for strong ideological commitment in North Korea. Byungu Chon's poem "Falling Persimmons" evokes the emotional suffering caused by the partition of Korea, and hopes for reunification
Korean reunification
Korean reunification refers to the hypothetical future reunification of North Korea and South Korea under a single government...
.
The anthology also contains an excerpt from Hong Seok-jung
Hong Seok-jung
Hong Sok-jung , born in Seoul in 1941, is a North Korean writer.He is the grandson of novelist Hong Myong-hui.He moved to North Korea with his family after the Second World War. He served in the Korean People's Navy, and obtained a degree in literature at Kim Il Sung University. His first published...
's 2002 novel Hwangjini, which received the Manhae Literary Prize - the first time the South Korean literary award had been conferred upon a North Korean writer. Hwangjini is a historical novel set in the sixteenth century
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
.
See also
- Korean literatureKorean literatureKorean literature is the body of literature produced in Korea or by Korean writers. For much of its 3,000 years of literature history, it was written both in Hanja and in Korean, first using the transcription systems idu and gugyeol, and finally using the Korean script Hangul. It is commonly...
- Culture of North Korea
North Korean writers
Source
by Tatiana Gabroussenko; ISBN 9780824833961
- Literary Propaganda in North Korea: Liberalisation in the 21st Century? Dr Tatiana Gabroussenko
- Han Sorya and North Korean Literature: The Failure of Socialist Realism in the DPRK by Brian Myers ISBN 9780939657698
- Tatiana Gabroussenko, "North Korean "Rural Fiction" from the Late 1990s to the Mid-2000s: Permanence and Change" in Korean Studies - Volume 33, 2009, pp. 69-100, University of Hawai'i Press
- Stephen Epstein, "On Reading North Korean Short Stories on the Cusp of the New Millennium"
- "A Tale of Music" by Kang Kwi-mi
- Changgom (Long Sword) by Hong Tong-sik (Pyongyang: Kumsong Youth Publishing House); Vol 1, published in 2005, 448 pp; Vol. 2 published in 2006, 451 pps. Reviewed by Stephen Mercado
- "North Korea’s Literary Theory" The Korea Times
- "North Korean "Rural Fiction" from the Late 1990s to the Mid-2000s: Permanence and Change"
- "The Science Fiction Genre in North Korean Children's Literature: Influences and Transformations" by Dafna Zur, University of British Columbia
- Literary Scene in N. Korea
- "Frogs in a Well: Literary Life in North Korea"
- Ri Tong Chun