Choi In-hoon (; 13 April 1936 – 23 July 2018) was a South Korean novelist and professor of creative writing at
Seoul Institute of the Arts
Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as w ...
from 1977 to 2001. He is well-known for his 1960 novel ''The Square'', which depicts "the troubled life of a Korean prisoner of war (POW) who ends up taking his own life amid an intensified ideological rift in the post-Korean War era." He won the 2011
Park Kyong-ni Prize
Park Kyong-ni Prize (Korean: 박경리 문학상) is an international literary award based in South Korea. It was established in 2011 in honor of Park Kyung-ni, known for her series '' Toji''. The award was founded and sponsored by the Toji Founda ...
.
Life
Choi In-hoon was born on 13 April 1936 in
Hoeryong
Hoeryŏng () is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It is located opposite Jilin Province, China, with the Tumen River in between. Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing City, is the closest Chinese town across the river. Hoeryŏng is the bir ...
,
North Hamgyong
North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province.
Geography
The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, ...
Province, which is now in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. When the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
broke out in 1950, he took refuge with his family to South Korea aboard a U.S. Navy landing ship. He was admitted to the college of Law at
Seoul National University
Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
in 1952.
He did not finish his academic work; instead, he joined the army without completing the final semester of his college studies. He served as an English interpreter and TI&E (troop information & education) officer for seven years until he was discharged in 1963. From 1977-2001 he served as a Professor of creative writing at
Seoul Institute of the Arts
Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as w ...
.
Choi died from
colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
in
Goyang
Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...
on 23 July 2018.
Work
While still in the military, Choi made his literary debut. Most of his work centers on individuals suffering from the ideological conflicts centering on Korean national separation. He is both prolific and controversial. His most famous work is ''The Square'', which was published in 1960 and immediately became successful.
''The Square'' was published on the heels of the
Student Revolution on April 19, 1960. This revolution overthrew President
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.
Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
and Choi was one of the first novelists to publish in that era. Consequently, it is regarded as having been the starting point for a new era in Korea's modern literature.
The successor to ''The Square'' was ''A Grey Man,'' which also focused tightly on issues of current politics in South Korea, particularly "the political decadence that culminated in the ouster of Syngman Rhee".
Works in translation
*''Reflections on a Mask,'' Homa & Sekei Books (2002, Stephen Moore and Shi Chung Park, tr.)
*''A Grey Man,'' Si Sa Yong O Sa Pub (1988, Chun Kyung-ja, tr.)
*''
The Square,'' Spindlewood (Sep 1985, Kevin O'Rourke, tr.)
*''House of Idols,'' Jimoondang Publishing Company (Feb 2003, John Holstein and Chun Kyung-ja, tr.)
Works in Korean (partial)
Novels
* ''Reflections on a Mask''
* ''The Square'' (1960)
* ''A Dream of Nine Clouds'' (1962)
* ''A Grey Man'' (1963)
* ''Journey to the West'' (1966)
* ''The Sound of Laughter'' (1967)
* ''One Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist'' (1969)
* ''Typhoon'' (1973)
* ''The Keyword'' (1994)
Plays
* ''Where Shall We Meet Again?'' (1970)
* ''Shoo-oo Shoo Once Upon A Time'' (1976)
Essays
* ''Meditation on the Road'' (1989)
Awards
*1966,
Dong-in Literary Award The Dong-in Literary Award ( ko, 동인문학상) is a South Korean literary award named after novelist Kim Dong-in, established in order to praise the literary achievement of The Republic of Korea. In commemoration of the Korean modern literatu ...
*1977, Best Playwright Prize,
Baeksang Arts Awards
The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...
*1978, Meritorious Prize in the Arts Category of the
JoongAng Cultural Awards
*1979, Seoul Theater Critics Group Award
*1994,
*2011,
Park Kyong-ni Prize
Park Kyong-ni Prize (Korean: 박경리 문학상) is an international literary award based in South Korea. It was established in 2011 in honor of Park Kyung-ni, known for her series '' Toji''. The award was founded and sponsored by the Toji Founda ...
*2004, Distinguished Alumnus Award of Seoul National University's College of Law
References
External links
Interview with Choi at ''Korea Journal''Review of ''House of Idols'' at KTLIT
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, Inhun
1936 births
2018 deaths
Deaths from cancer in South Korea
Deaths from colorectal cancer
People from Hoeryong
South Korean novelists
Seoul National University alumni
Academic staff of Seoul Institute of the Arts
Academic staff of Korea National University of Arts