Yoo Hyeonjong is a South Korean novelist whose works of dramatic
historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
are well known in his native country.
Life
A native of
Jeonju, the capital of
Jeollabuk-do
North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...
province, Yoo was born into a family of the
Gangneung
Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...
Yu lineage (born 25 February 1939, although another source gives 1940) . With a degree in
creative writing from Sorabol Arts College, in the province's former capital,
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...
, he emerged on the literary stage when his short story, "This Insignificant Stone", received an award from the literary magazine ''Jayu Munhak''.
Work
“This Insignificant Stone” (Tteut isseulsu eomneun idolmaengi, 1961) is moving tale of wordless communication two Korean soldiers on the opposite sides of the demilitarized zone achieve through the medium of a curiously shaped stone. The work describes how an utterly ordinary and worthless object becomes endowed with great significance as it occasions contact between two people who must remain enemies. For this simple tale which nonetheless implies indirect criticism of the tragic reality of Korean division, Yoo Hyeonjong received the New Writer's Prize awarded by the journal Freedom Literature (Jayu munhak) in 1961, the year he graduated from the Creative Writing Department of Sorabol College of Arts.
Yoo Hyeonjong's later works, however, move toward greater theatricality and evince panoramic scope. “Giant” (Geoin), for example, features a protagonist who possesses almost super-human strength and will, and this type of larger-than-life hero makes nearly ubiquitous appearance in Yoo's historical novels. He tackled a wide range of characters and events in these lengthy sagas. Wildfire (Deul bul, 1975) deals with rebels of the
Donghak Movement
The Donghak Peasant Revolution (), also known as the Donghak Peasant Movement (), Donghak Rebellion, Peasant Revolt of 1894, Gabo Peasant Revolution, and a variety of Donghak Peasant Revolution#Role played by Donghak, other names, was an armed ...
toward the end of
Joseon Dynasty
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 ...
; Yeongaesomun (1978) depicts the heroic feats of Yeongaesomun, the famed general from the
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...
Kingdom; the checkered lives of itinerant acting troupe is the subject of Namsadang. In addition, he has written accounts of historical figures such as Goryeo monk and geomancer Myocheong,
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
period sea merchant Jang Bogo, mid-Joseon bandit Lim Kkeok-jeong, and late-Joseon painter Jang Seung-eop. Yoo Hyeonjong's penchant for high drama has led him to become a capable playwright as well: he has written plays Tale of an Yangban (Yangbanjeon) and A Puppeteer for Our Times (Urideurui gwangdaewon). Yoo Hyeonjong received Contemporary Literature Prize in 1969 and Korean Creative Writing Prize in 1976.
["Yoo Hyeonjong" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: ]
Works in Korean
* ''City of Discontent'', 1968 (불만의 도시)
* ''Wild Fire'', 1975 (들불)
* ''Yongaesomun'', 1978 (연개소문)
* ''The Three Elite Patrols'', 1980 (삼별초)
* ''North Road to Mt. Heaven'', 1980 (천산북로)
* ''Kings' Way'', 1981 (왕도)
* ''Im Kkok-chong'', 1986 (임꺽정)
* ''Chang Po-go'', 1988 (장보고)
* ''Chonggam-nok'', 1990 (정감록)
* ''Hwangsan'', 1989 (황산)
* ''Taejoyoung'', 1990 (대조영)
Awards
*
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai ...
Munhak Literary Prize, 1969
* Korean Fiction Prize, 1976
References
See also
*
List of Korean novelists
*
Contemporary culture of South Korea
*
Korean literature
Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in the Korean language and sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea's 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is commonly divided into classica ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoo, Hyeonjong
South Korean novelists
People from North Jeolla Province
1939 births
Living people