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"Rain Shower", also "Shower" or "Sonagi," (소나기) is a Korean short story written by Korean writer
Hwang Sun-won
Hwang Sun-wŏn (March 26, 1915 – September 14, 2000) was a Korean short story writer, novelist, and poet."황순원" biographical PDF available at LTI Korea Library or online at:
Life
Hwang was born while Korea was under Japanese colonial ...
in 1952. A sonagi is a brief but heavy rain shower that starts suddenly, usually on a hot afternoon. In Hwang’s story, the rain shower symbolizes the short but heart-rending love between the boy and the girl. The story begins with the boy encountering the girl playing by the stream on his way back home.
Although many of Hwang’s short stories are notable, “Rain Shower” is cited as his timeless Korean classic by Koreans. Koreans of all ages are acquainted with this story. It is famous for its poignant depiction of the Korean countryside and of innocent adolescent love. The picturesque scenes from this story stir nostalgia for many people.
“Rain Shower,” like many of Hwang’s other stories, was written while he lived as a refugee with his family during 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 ...
.
The scene from the story where the boy and the girl avoid the rain shower together has become a favorite in many Korean romantic films. There is a 1979 Korean film based on the short story (also called Sonagi). Two notable films that heavily reference the story include the 2001 Korean romantic comedy,
My Sassy Girl
''My Sassy Girl'' ( ko, 엽기적인 그녀, Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo, That Bizarre Girl) is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. The film is based on a true story told in a series ...
, and the 2003 Korean melodrama,
The Classic, and 2004 Korean Dramas
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. ''Munhwa'' is the Sino-Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11.
Es ...
Tropical Nights in December Episode 1 parodies. And recently, it was also made into an animation 'Rain shower(소나기)'.
[{{Cite web, url=http://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/1701408.htm, title= F씨네리뷰황순원 원작 '소나기', 힐링될 애니매이션으로 재탄생, last=tf.co.kr, date=2017-09-05, website=더팩트, language=ko, access-date=2019-03-22]
Sonagi Village
In 2009, Sonagi Village and Hwang Soon Won Literary House are opened by Yang-pyeong gun at Sooneung-ri, Seojong-myeon.
See also
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Korean literature
*
Contemporary culture of South Korea
The contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of Korea which was prevalent in the early Korean nomadic tribes. By maintaining thousands of years of ancient Korean culture, with influence from ancient Chinese cul ...
References
External links
One version of English Translation of SonagiMusical version of Sonagi
1959 short stories
Korean short stories