Kim Joo-young (born December 7, 1939) is a South Korean writer of historical fiction.

Life

Kim was born on December 7, 1939 in

Cheongsong Cheongsong County (or Cheongsong-gun) is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Administrative divisions Cheongsong is divided into 1 eup and 7 myeon. Climate Cheongsong has a humid continental climate (Köppen: ''Dwa''), but can ...

, Gyeongsangbuk-do at the height of the Japanese occupation, and as a child experienced Korean liberation and the Korean war. He graduated from Daegu Agricultural High School and from the creative writing program at Seorabol College of Art (now merged with Chung-Ang University), which he attended against the wishes of his father. He originally intended to become a writer, but is best known for his historical fiction.

Work

He began making his mark as a writer with ''Summer Hunting'' (Yeoreum sanyang), chosen for the second-place prize by the journal Literature Monthly (Wolgan munhak) in 1970, and ''A Period of Dormancy'' (Hyumyeongi), awarded the prize for new writers by the same journal in 1971. Throughout the 1970s, Kim Joo-young wrote works driven by strong satirical impulse directed against results of modernization in Korea. In many of these vignettes, the snobbery of urban people are contrasted with wholesome humanity of country-folk; when transplanted into the brutal atmosphere of the cities, these simple people are forced to become devious in order simply to survive. Works from this period include ''Evil Spirit'' (Angnyeong), ''Apprenticeship in Thievery'' (Doduk gyeonseup), and ''Model Breeding'' (Mobeom sayuk). It is, however, as the writer of ''The Innkeeper'', a monumental saga in ten volumes that details the lives of itinerant merchants at the close of the nineteenth century, that Kim Joo-young is best known. Serialized from June 1979 to February 1983 in

Seoul Shinmun ''The Seoul Shinmun'' (translating to The Seoul Newspaper) is the oldest daily newspaper in South Korea with more than a century of publication. Its original name was ''Daehan Maeil Sinbo'' (''The Korea Daily News''), which was started on July 1 ...

, ''The Innkeeper'' marked a departure from preceding Korean historical novels in its view of history from the vantage point of the masses. Written after a period of intensive research, the text teems with life and offers a storehouse of folk customs, languages, and ways of thought. In a vibrant, engaging manner, ''The Innkeeper'' provides a panoramic overview of late 19th century

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

society, especially the rise of industrial capital. With the success of ''The Innkeeper,'' Kim Joo-young continued writing historical fiction, producing multi-volume novels ''The Wanderers'' (화적 禾尺 Hwacheok, 1991) and ''Righteous Band of Brigands'' (활빈도 活貧徒 Hwalbindo, 1987). He also turned retrospectively to the space of his childhood — a small country village of Gyeongsangbuk-do where he grew up poor and fatherless — in such works as ''The Roar of Thunder'' (Cheondung sori, 1986) and ''Fishermen Don’t Break Reeds'' (Gogijabineun galdaereul kkeokji anneunda, 1988

Works in translation

*Stingray (홍어) *The Sound of Thunder *Sardellen (German) *Ein Fischer bricht das Schilfrohr nicht (German) *Раскаты грома (Russian) *El pescador no tala (Spanish) *La Raya (Spanish) *صوت الرعد (Arabic) *惊天雷声 (Chinese) *鳀鱼 (Chinese) *洪魚 (Chinese) *Le pêcheur ne cueille pas de roseaux (French) *Le Bruit du Tonnerre (천둥소리) (French)

Awards

Kim Juyeong received the 1982 Novelists’ Award for ''Travelogue to the Oechon Market'' (외촌장外村場 기행 Oechonjang gihaeng, 1984) and the 1984 Yoo Juhyeon Literary Award for ''The Innkeeper''.

References

External links