''The Descendants of Cain'' (카인의 후예) is a novel by

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 ...

(황순원). Published in 1954 in Seoul, it was instantly popular and has continued to be a steady seller ever since. It was selected by

LTI 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 ...

for translation into English and French.

Plot

Set in 1946, the novel's central theme is the forced collectivization of agricultural land in North Korea, a national crisis that altered the path of the history of Korea. The main character Pak Hun goes through a romantic experience with a married daughter of his tenent farmer, which greatly changes his worldview and opinions on the Soviet occupation of Korea.

Film

The novel was adapted into a 1968 movie directed by

Yu Hyun-mok Yu Hyun-mok (July 2, 1925 – June 28, 2009) was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, Hwanghae, Korea (North Korea today), he made his film debut in 1956 with ''Gyocharo'' (''Crossroads''). According to the website koreanfilm.org, ...

References

* 1954 novels 20th-century South Korean novels Novels set in North Korea South Korean novels adapted into films {{1950s-novel-stub