Kim Manjung

Kim Manjung
Chosŏn'gŭl 김만중
Hancha 金萬重
McCune–Reischauer Kim Man-jung
Revised Romanization Kim Man-jung
Pen name
Chosŏn'gŭl 서포
Hancha 西浦
McCune–Reischauer Sŏp'o
Revised Romanization Seopo

Kim Man-jung (Korean: 김만중, pen-name Seopo) (1637–1692) was Korean novelist and politician of the mid-Joseon period. A member of the yangban class, Kim passed the state civil service examination and rose through the official ranks to become a royal academic counselor and minister during the reign of King Sukjeong. He was exiled twice for involvement in the political factionalism of the time[1] As a man of letters his most renowned works were the novels Sassi Namjeonggi ("Record of Lady Sa's Trip to the South" 謝氏南征記) and the Guunmong ("Dream of Nine Clouds" 九雲夢). The former is a novel about family affairs set in China, but it is also a satirical depiction of the political reality of his day, and in particular a rebuke of King Sukjeong's affairs with women. The latter is one of the most prominent novels of traditional Korea. It is said that Kim wrote the Guunmong during his second exile from political life.[2] It is an ideal novel dealing with the affairs of life and is centered on the travails of the hero Seong-jin. It has a highly Buddhist overtone, with an emphasis on the transience of worldly glory and pleasure.

References

  1. ^ Tai-jin Kim. 1976. A Bibliographic Guide to Traditional Korean Sources. Seoul: Asiatic Research Center, 351.
  2. ^ Ibid., 356.