Park Kyung-ni

Park Kyung-ni
Korean name
Hangul	박경리
Hanja	朴景利
Revised Romanization	Bak Gyeong-ni
McCune–Reischauer	Pak Kyŏng-ni
Birth name
Hangul	박금이
Hanja	朴今伊
Revised Romanization	Bak Geum-i
McCune–Reischauer	Pak Kŭm-i

Park Kyung-Ri (This is the author's preferred Romanization per LTI Korea^[1]) (October 28, 1926 – May 5, 2008) was a prominent South Korean novelist.^[2] She was born in Tongyeong, in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, and later lived in Wonju in Gangwon-do Province. Park made her literary debut in 1955, with Gyesan (계산, Calculations). She is, however, most well known for her 16-volume story Toji (토지, The Land), an epic saga set on the turbulent history of Korea during 19th and 20th century. It was later adapted into a movie, a television series and an opera. ^{[3] [4]}

“She is a big figure in Korean literature, who we will have little chance to meet in the near future.” Park Kyung-Ri died from lung cancer at the age of 81 on May 5, 2008^[3] and many literary men recollected her as a guide for their literary works and life as a writer.^[5] She was posthumously awarded the country's top medal by the Culture Ministry of South Korea for her promoting South Korean arts.^[6][7]

Life

Park Kyung-Ri was born as the first daughter to a middle-class family in 1926 in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. Her birth name was Park Geum-i (박금이).^[8] Her father, Park Su-yeong (박수영) married her mother at his age of fourteen, who was older than he was by 4 years. The relationship between her parents did not get on well, which deeply affected her life. Her misery started when her father left her mother right away after she was born. Later, she said that she had both sympathy and contempt toward her mother, but hatred against her father. Therefore, she was isolated in the extremely conflicting feelings and befriended books in her imaginative world.^[8]

Park married Kim Haeng-do (김행도), a clerk of the Office of Monopoly (전매부) in 1946 one year after her graduation from Jinju Girls' High school (진주고등여학교). However, her suffering did not end with her marriage. Instead, it got worse when her husband was accused of being a communist and went missing during the Korean War and eventually died in Seodaemun Prison.^[9] Not only that, she lost her 3 years-old baby son in the same year. Park became a widow with her daughter and mother for whom she had to financially support. Park began her career as a professional writer in 1955 after a recommendation by a novelist and poet, Kim Dong-ri (김동리 1913 ~ 1995). Park underwent breast cancer in the 1960s and had to raise her grandson, Wonbo after her son-in-law and a poet, Kim Chi-Ha (김지하) was arrested for the accusation of being a communist in the 1970s just like her husband.^[8] She had even suffered from lung cancer herself until she died.^[3]

Work

When Park Kyung-Ri debuted, she said "If I had been happy, I would have not begun writing."^[9] Park also said later, "I live with my mother and daughter and had to support them financially by myself. I began writing since I had hope to get away from my adversity." Her sorrowful personal life surely influenced her works, where she emphasized human dignity.

Park started her career as a writer with the novel, Calculations (계산, Gyesan) and her early work was heavily guided by her unfortunate life. Each narrator in her novels like Time of distrust (불신시대, Bulsin Sidae) and Time of Darkness (암흑시대, Amheuk Sidae) are often a daughter living with her mother who lost her husband and son, which was true with her own life. In her later work, The Daughters of Pharmacist Kim (김약국의 딸들, Kimyakgukui Ttaldeul), she still deals with characters who get over with their difficulties.^[10] However, she got more objective point of view in that her fictional setting moved from the Korean war to everyday life and employed more various writing techniques and topics.

Park showed the importance of human dignity in all her works. She defined human dignity as protecting the noblest thing for oneself. She criticized a tradition, a system, and authority which cause people not to protect their dignity, and also disdained people who lost their dignity because of their desires. Additionally, her works are concerned with human isolation, absolute trust in love.

Toji (The Land)

Toji (The Land) is the most famous of Park Kyung-Ri's novels. The epic novel was started as a serial publication in the September 1969 issue of "Contemporary Literature" (현대문학, Hyundae Munhak).^[11] It took her 25 years to write.^[11][12] It depicts the turbulence at the turn of the 20th century when Korean people were struggling against Japanese imperialism. It has hundreds of characters from across the Korean peninsula and follows them from the late 19th century to the early 20th century through Japan’s colonial rule to the division of the peninsula. "Kim, Gil-sang" (김길상) and "Choi, Seo-hee" (최서희), the main heroes of the novel, like other heroes in Park’s novels, struggle to save their own dignity in the most turbulent period of Korean history. It has significant literary artistry in style, native folk language and diverse character portrayals, depicting Korea’s eventual and sadness-ridden modern history through the love of vast "Mother Earth". It is considered as a masterpiece of contemporary Korean literature.^[13] It has been made into a TV series, a movie, and an opera. It has been translated into several languages including English, French and Japanese. It also has been included in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works.^[11][13][14]

Legacy

Park Kyung-Ri is regarded as one of the most famous and respected writers in South Korea. She opened up a new chapter in Korean literary history with her remarkable epic novel Toji and also produced 20 other high quality novels and 3 poetry collections that had a huge impact on Korean writers and readers.^[15] Park opened Toji Culture Center on the spot of her original home in Wonju, Gangwon Province, in 1999. She helped and nurture new writers in the center. Park also served as a chairperson of the board of trustees of the Toji Culture Foundation, which was established in 1996.^[4] She promoted and preserved young writers’ active literary thoughts by fostering and nurturing their creative attitudes and lifestyles.^[5]

Works

• 1955 Calculation (계산, Gyesan)^[16][17]
• 1956 Black and Black and White and White (흑흑백백, Heukheuk baekbaek)
• 1957 Period of Distrust (불신시대, Bulsin Sidae)
• 1957 Missions
• 1958 Love Song (연가, Yeonga )
• 1958 Byeokji (벽지)
• 1958 Time of Darkness (암흑시대, Amheuk Sidae)
• 1959 Pyoryudo (표류도)
• 1962 The Daughters of Pharmacist Kim (김약국의 딸들, Kimyakgukui Ttaldeul)
• 1963 Pasi (파시)
• 1965 The Market and War field (시장과 전장, Sijang gwa Jeonjang)
• 1965 Green Zone (Nokjidae, 녹지대)
• 1969-1994 Toji (토지 The Land)
• My Mind is Lake (내 마음은 호수)
• Blue Galaxy (푸른 은하)

Works in Translation

• Land 1 (토지 1)
• Markt und Krieg (시장과 전장)
• Land 2 (토지 2)
• Land 3 (토지 3)
• Дочери аптекаря Кима (김약국의 딸들)
• The Curse of Kim's Daughters (김약국의 딸들)
• 土地 第1部 第1卷 (토지 1)
• 金药局家的女儿们 (김약국의 딸들)
• 土地 第一部 第三卷 (토지 3)
• La Terre (토지)
• Les filles du Pharmacien Kim (김약국의 딸들)

Awards

• The Woltan Literature Award (for Land).
• Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award (1958)
• The Inchon Award ^[4]
• The Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (awarded 1992).^[4]
• Order of Cultural Merit, Geum-gwan Medal (Gold Crown) 금관장 (awarded posthumously).^[6]

References