Han Malsook (born December 27, 1931) is a South Korean writer.

Life

Han Malsook was born on December 27, 1931, in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Han graduated from

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 ...

with a

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

degree and worked in an advisory capacity in the Department of Public Reports. She was also a lecturer at Seoul National University's Music School. Her literary debut was in 1956 with two of her short stories ("The Season in Starlight" and "Precipice of a Myth") that were published in the ''Contemporary Literature Journal'' at the suggestion of Kim Dong-ni."Han Mahlsook" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Han was also a member of the UNESCO Korean Committee. Malsook is married to ''

gayageum The ''gayageum'' or ''kayagum'' (in Korean 가야금, 伽倻琴 in Chinese characters) is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional K ...

'' musician

Hwang Byungki Hwang Byungki (31 May 1936, in Seoul – 31 January 2018) was the foremost South Korean player of the gayageum, a 12-string zither with silk strings. He was also a composer and an authority on '' sanjo'', a form of traditional Korean instrumental ...

and their eldest son is mathematician

Jun-Muk Hwang Jun-Muk Hwang (; born 27 October 1963) is a South Korean mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry and complex differential geometry. Personal life Hwang is the eldest son of ''gayageum'' musician Hwang Byungki and novelist Han Malsook. ...

Work

With vivid imagery, inventive writing style and keen perception, Han Malsook captures the multifaceted interiority of alienated human beings, in particular, the psychology of contemporary women in the postwar setting. Her major work, “A Precipice of Myth” (Sinhwaui danae, 1960), utilizes existentialist perspective to probe the damaged psychology of a woman whose denial of conventional ethics and the very idea of future allows her to lead a temporal existence defined solely by pursuit of pleasure and comfort. A story that embodies the postwar atmosphere of self-abandonment and nihilistic approach to life, it won the author instant recognition and became the main subject of existentialist discussion in the latter half of 1950's. Han explored these views further in “A Promise with God” (Singwaui yaksok, 1968). The story features a woman who bargains with God for her daughter's life, but realizes after her daughter's recovery that she cannot embrace faith in God as she had promised. For the protagonist, the object of her dedication remains her daughter, not God. Han has also focused her literary attention on a wide range of different subjects. “An Old Woman and A Cat” (Nopawa goyangi) investigates the nature of alienation through the perspective of an old woman abandoned by her family. "A White Path" (Hayan dojeong, 1963) describes a younger generation's struggle against the hypocrisy and corruption of their parents. “The Rainy Season’ (Jangma) sexualizes man's defiance against nature.Source-attribution, "Han Mahl-sook" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Han is known for works including Certain Death (Eotteon jugeum), An Old Woman and a Cat, The Rainy Season, Black Rose (Geomeun jangmi) and “A White Distance". "Traces" (Heunjeok), which depicts the triumph of sympathy and trust over mammonism, was awarded the 1963 Contemporary Literature Prize, and “A Promise with God” won the 1968 Literary Composition Prize. Her novels include The Age of Exploration (Mosaek sidae, 1980) and A Beautiful Hymn of the Spirit (Areumdaun yeongga, 1981).

Works in translation

Hymn of the Spirit
(translated by Suzanne Crowder Han)

Selected works in Korean

;Novels * The Age of Exploration (Mosaek sidae, 1980) * A Beautiful Hymn of the Spirit (Areumdaun yeongga, 1981) ;Notable works * Certain Death (Eotteon jugeum) * An Old Woman and a Cat * The Rainy Season * Black Rose (Geomeun jangmi) * A White Distance * Traces (Heunjeok)

Awards

* Contemporary Literature Prize (1963) * Literary Composition Prize (1968)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Malsook 1931 births Korean writers Living people