Oh Takbeon (Hangul: 오탁번; 3 July 1943 – 15 February 2023) was a South Korean writer, poet, and critic.
Life
Oh Takbeon was born 3 July 1943, in
Jecheon
Jecheon () is a city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The city is a major railway junction or a transportation mecca, served by the Jungang, Chungbuk and Taebaek Lines. Jecheon has scenic surroundings and several tourist spots like the ...
,
Chungcheongbuk-do
North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the s ...
,
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 ...
.
He attended
Korea University
Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities.
The ...
, where he studied Korean literature and worked as a professor in the Department of Korean Education, also at Korea University.
Oh died on 15 February 2023, at the age of 79.
Work
The
Literature Translation Institute of Korea
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea ( ko, 한국문학번역원, LTI Korea, formerly known as Korean Literature Translation Fund) was founded in 1996 by the Government of South Korea with the aim of promoting Korean literature and cultu ...
summarizes Oh's contributions to Korean literature:
:The first work of his to be published was a children’s tale; “Cheori and His Father” (Cheoriwa abeoji) was awarded a prize in the New Year’s Literary Contest sponsored by the Dong-a Ilbo in 1966. The value of innocence associated with childhood has remained a persistent concern in Oh Takbeon’s work. The idealization of the natural state of grace in which a child lives heightens the sense of loss that must accompany the onset of adulthood; Oh Takbeon’s adult characters struggle against the depraved reality through impulsive behavior that flouts conventional norms or by embracing the healing power of maternal imagination. With concise and witty sentences, concrete imagery, and spirited tone characteristic of children’s tales, Oh Takbeon mirrors the ingenuousness of a child in his writing style as well.
Oh was known both for fiction and poetry, having won Korean awards in both arenas. He authored several works of criticism concerned with Modern Korean poetry and literary history.
["Oh Takbeon" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: ]
Works in Korean (partial)
Poems
* This Resplendent, Silvery Morning (Suneuni binnaneun i achim, 1967)
* The Land of Execution (Cheohyeongui ttang, 1967)
* Snowfall (Gangseol, 1969)
* Petty Official" (Hagwan, 1983)
Fiction
* Gadeung Temple (Gadeungsa, 1970)
* The Wedding (Hollye, 1971)
* Returning Home (Guiro, 1972)
* How to Turn the Key (Yeolsoereul dollineun beop, 1981)
* The Tomb of Language (Eoneoui myoji, 1983)
* Moon-Welcoming Flower (Dalmaji kkot, 1984)
Awards
Source:
* Joongang Literary Award (1967)
* Hanguk Munhak Literary Award (1987)
* Dongseo Literary Award (1994)
* Korean Poets Association Award (2003)
* Kim Sakkat Literature Award (2010)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oh, Takbeon
1943 births
2023 deaths
Korean writers
South Korean literary critics
Society of Korean Poets Award winners
Jeong Jiyong Literature Prize winners
Korea University alumni
Academic staff of Korea University
People from Jecheon