Korean literature

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The Korean literature was at first only to Chinese written. Only gradually after the introduction of the Korean writing system, Hangeul was written in Korean. Korean literature can be divided into two groups according to the time of origin: works that were written and created before the 20th century are counted as "Classical Literature" in North and South Korea ( Kor. 고전 문학 , Gojeon munhak , [koʝənmunhak]) ), and those written in and after the 20th century on “Modern Literature” ( 현대 문학 , Hyeondae munhak , [hjəndɛmunhak] ). Classical literature includes to a large extent works that are written in Old Chinese, but also those that are written in Idu and in the spelling of the Hunminjeongeum . Modern literature is classified according to western literary genres.

Classical literature

In 1446 a new phonetic transcription systematically developed under King Sejong was presented, which was supposed to avoid the laborious learning of the Chinese script : the book Hunmin chongum . This writing formed the basis of a lively publication activity of Buddhist texts and Confucian classics for the "common" people. However, the very first publication was in praise of the ruling family of the Joseon Dynasty . In the "songs of the dragons that soar to heaven" ( Yongbi ochon-ga ), the deeds of the first rulers of the family and their ancestors were honored. Numerous fictionalized biographies appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries . Realistic accounts of the life of the urban upper classes and family novels were added later. However, this Confucian-influenced literature for the upper classes and, since the 18th century, also for the poorer classes, continued to be written in Chinese. Many of the authors cannot be identified; Individual authors have only come to light since the 19th century.

Seals (forms)

Novels (genres)

Modern literature

The Korean script, created in the 15th century, had only led a shadowy existence since the 18th century, but became an important instrument in the creation of a new identity after the close ties with China were forced to end by Japan . Magazines have been founded since 1896 . From the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, influences from Europe and America were added, which were promoted by mission societies and the modernized school system as well as by the education of the elites in Japan. A prose style based on spoken colloquial language emerged , which freed itself from the written language influences of Chinese. An independent literature could hardly develop under Japanese hegemony.

North Korea

Like all art forms in North Korea is also subject to the fiction of the censorship of the North Korean authorities. The most important topics are the problem of the division of Korea into North and South Korea and the "heroic deeds" of Kim Il-sung and his comrades. Hyeonseo Lee , who grew up in North Korea, wrote her biography and escape story after her escape.

South Korea

Important authors from South Korea who wrote in Korean before World War II and who refused to use Japanese were the writers of novels and short stories Hwang Sun-won (1915-2000) and Park Chong-hwa (1901-1981), who already dealt with the national identity of Korea in the 1920s and dealt with the issue of the Korean War in a realistic way. Kim Su-yong (1921–1968), a representative of modernist poetry , was temporarily trapped in North Korea and worked as a translator. Hwang Sok-yong (* 1943) was arrested in the 1960s and had to fight on the American side in Vietnam ; he deals with the moral ravages of war and the breakdown of traditional value systems and also writes historical novels.

Cho Se-hui and Yi Mun-yol belonged in the 1970s to the opposition literary-political movement around the magazine Munji (abbreviated for "literature and intelligence"), which was banned in the 1980s. The ecologically committed poet Choi Seung-ho has addressed the dehumanization of Seoul in his poems critical of civilization .

In 2016, Han Kang was awarded the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for her work The Vegetarian Woman . From the mid- 2010s , Korean novels became increasingly popular in the West, analogous to the Korean wave .

One of the most important literary awards in South Korea is the Yi Sang Literature Prize .

Book market

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Alongside the People's Republic of China, South Korea has been the most important buyer of German translation licenses for years ; Books for children and young people, classics and philosophers are traded at the annual book fair in Seoul.

The South Korean writers Ko Un and Yi Mun-yol have been contenders for the Nobel Prize for years . Younger South Korean authors are also widely read in other European countries, such as France . Successful translations are often lacking in the German-speaking area . As a countermeasure, South Korea had an elaborately designed appearance as the guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2005 with state-sponsored translations, concerts and more. In South Korea, stadiums can even fill up when reading literature.

Worldwide, South Korea ranks seventh in terms of new book publications. In 2004 there were around 50,000 books.

See also

bibliography

Korean Literature Books:

  • Kyo-Chul Chung [Chung Kyo-Chul]: Studies on P'ansori: A contribution to the history, essence and design principles of Korean epic singing. HICE: Seoul, 1997.
  • Hanguk Yeokdae Munjip Chongseo Mongnok. Kyungin: Seoul, 2000.
  • Hoyt, James Soaring: Phoenixes and Prancing Dragons: A Historical Survey of Korean Classical Literature. Jimoondang International: Somerset (Korean Studies Series, No. 20), 2000.
  • Hunggyu Kim [Kim Hunggyu]: Understanding Korean literature. Sharpe: Armonk, NY, 1997.
  • Lee, Peter H .: A History of Korean Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
  • Köhler, Kai: Departure from the quiet of the morning. Korean literature in German translation. literaturwissenschaft.de: Marburg, 2005.
  • Eckardt, André: History of Korean Literature. Kohlhammer: Stuttgart (Language and Literature 28), 1968.
  • McCann, David R .: Early Korean Literature: Selections and Introductions. Columbia University Press: New York, 2000.
  • Korean National Commission for UNESCO: Korean Literature: Its Classical Heritage and Modern Breakthroughs. Hollym: Seoul, 2003. ISBN 1-56591-176-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ History of Korean Literature , accessed July 24, 2015
  2. ↑ German: Black Magnolia: How I escaped from North Korea. A report from hell , Munich 2015.
  3. ↑ Alison Flood: The new Scandi noir? The Korean writers reinventing the thriller. In: The Guardian . May 3, 2018, accessed October 11, 2019 .