Han changhoon (This is the author's preferred Romanization per LTI Korea,) is a South Korean author.

Life

Han changhoon was born in 1963 in the seaport town of

Yeosu Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea and ...

, and graduated from

Hannam University Hannam University (한남대학교) is a private Christian university in Daejeon, South Korea. It was founded in 1956. Transition In February 1959, Linton (W.A.) was inaugurated as the first president of Daejeon University. The university has ...

with a degree in Regional Development. He made his literary debut in 1992 with “An Anchor” which was published in

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology and ...

Daily Newspaper.

Work

The characters in Han's works cherish the memory of the lonely seascape in their hearts: blue-black waves, desolate, wind-swept beach, fishermen's leathery hands—these images constitute the picture of home for those who lead sorrowful lives in the impoverished countryside or at the periphery of glittering cities. ''Island, I Live the End of the World'' feature twelve stories narrated by a man who lives alone on an island. A woman visits the island in remembrance of her lost love; an old man lost at sea drifts as far down south as the island of

Jeju Jeju may refer to: * Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo **Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo **Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju l ...

; an abusive husband is reunited with his runaway wife on a moonlit beach—in these stories, the sea is not a mere backdrop but the very manifestation of life that offers an insight into the secret of existence. Han refrains from sententiousness despite the fact that his works explore the suffering of the socially and economically underprivileged: with his characteristic humility and sensitivity, Han discovers beauty and psychological subtleties inherent in every situation and allows his characters an amount of optimism and ultimate faith in the goodness of human nature with which they brave the difficulties of life.

Awards

* 3rd Hankyoreh Literature Prize, 1998 (for his novel ''Mussels'')

Works in Korean (partial)

;Novels * ''Mussels'' (홍합). Seoul: Hankyoreh Publishing, 1998. . * ''Island, I Live the End of the World'' (섬, 나는 세상 끝을 산다). Seoul;: Changbi Publishers, 2003. . ;Short story collections * ''The Reason For Ocean’s Beauty'' (바다가 아름다운 이유). Seoul: Sol, 1996. . * ''Looking at a Passing Bird'' (가던새본다). Seoul: Changbi Publishers, 1998. . * ''The Person Who Went to the End of the Earth'' (세상의 끝으로 간 사람). Seoul: Munhak Tongne, 2001. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Changhoon 1963 births Living people Hannam University alumni South Korean writers South Korean male short story writers South Korean short story writers