Choi In-hun

Choi In-hun (Korean: 최인훈; Hanja: 崔仁勳; 13 April 1936 – 23 July 2018) was a South Korean novelist[1] and professor of creative writing at Seoul Institute of the Arts from 1977 to 2001. He is well-known for his 1960 novel The Square, which depicts "the troubled life of a Korean prisoner of war (POW) who ends up taking his own life amid an intensified ideological rift in the post-Korean War era."[2]

In this Korean name, the family name is Choi.
Choi In-hun
Born(1936-04-13)13 April 1936
Hoeryong, Japanese Korea
Died23 July 2018(2018-07-23) (aged 82)
Goyang, South Korea
OccupationNovelist
Poet
Playwright
Literary Critic
LanguageKorean
Korean name
Hangul
최인훈
Hanja
崔仁勳
Revised RomanizationChoe Inhun
McCune–ReischauerCh'oe Inhun

Life

Choi In-hun was born on 13 April 1936 in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, which is now in North Korea. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, he took refuge with his family to South Korea aboard a U.S. Navy landing ship.[3] He was admitted to the college of Law at Seoul National University in 1952.[4] He did not finish his academic work; instead, he joined the army without completing the final semester of his college studies. He served as an English interpreter and TI&E (troop information & education) officer for seven years until he was discharged in 1963.[3] From 1977-2001 he served as a Professor of creative writing at Seoul Institute of the Arts.[4]

Choi died from colorectal cancer in Goyang on 23 July 2018.[5]

Work

While still in the military, Choi made his literary debut. Most of his work centers on individuals suffering from the ideological conflicts centering on Korean national separation.[3] He is both prolific and controversial. His most famous work is The Square, which was published in 1960 and immediately became successful.[6]

The Square was published on the heels of the Student Revolution on April 19, 1960. This revolution overthrew President Syngman Rhee and Choi was one of the first novelists to publish in that era. Consequently, it is regarded as having been the starting point for a new era in Korea's modern literature.[3]

The successor to The Square was A Grey Man, which also focused tightly on issues of current politics in South Korea, particularly "the political decadence that culminated in the ouster of Syngman Rhee".[7]

Works in Translation

Works in Korean (Partial)

Novels

  • Reflections on a Mask
  • The Square (1960)
  • A Dream of Nine Clouds (1962)
  • A Grey Man (1963)
  • Journey to the West (1966)
  • The Sound of Laughter (1967)
  • One Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist (1969)
  • Typhoon (1973)
  • The Keyword (1994)

Plays

  • Where Shall We Meet Again? (1970)
  • Shoo-oo Shoo Once Upon A Time (1976)

Essays

  • Meditation on the Road (1989)

Awards

References
  1. "'광장'의 소설가, 최인훈 별세". The Chosun Ilbo. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  2. Jung Da-min (2018-07-23). "Award-winning novelist Choi In-hun of 'The Square' dies of cancer". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  3. http://www.drama21c.net/text/3plays/novelist.htm
  4. "Choi In-hoon: "The flame in my mind has never died down for the past 48 years."". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  5. "Novelist Choi In-hun who delves into ideological rift of post-war Koreas dies of cancer". Yonhap. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  6. Minmusa, p 38
  7. Choi, In-hoon. A Grey Man. Si-sayong-o-sa. p. Preface. ISBN 978-0872960329.
  8. "Park Kyung-ni Prize First Winner". tojicf.org. September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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