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Original Works

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Printed/Published Work Korean(한국어)

장난감 도시

About the Original Works

Original Title
장난감 도시
Title Romanization
Jangnangam dosi
English Title(Printed)
A Toy City
Classification

KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999

Author
Lee Dong-ha
Co-Author
-
Published Year
2009
Publisher
문학과지성사
ISBN
9788932020235
Main Characters
The narrator Yun, Yun’s mother, Yun’s father
Subject/Theme
Hard city life; post-war

About the Author

  • Lee Dong-ha
  • Birth : 1942 ~ -
  • Occupation : Novelist
  • First Name : Dong-ha
  • Family Name : Lee
  • Korean Name : 이동하
  • ISNI : 0000000076897572
  • Works : 11
Plot

When his uncle is persecuted for his ideological beliefs, the young narrator Yun and his family relocate to the city from their home in the countryside. But Yun’s father is unable to find work, and the city life Yun had longed for is marred by poverty. When his father is sentenced to imprisonment for illegally transporting stolen property, Yun manages to get by with meals from local churches. Soon his mother dies, and the family struggles to survive even when his father is released from prison. Yun must shine shoes for a living, in a city that resembles a toy.

Descriptions(Languages 2)
  • Korean(한국어)
  • English(English)

1979년 <신동아>에 발표된 <장난감 도시>, 1980년 <한국문학>에 발표된 <굶주린 혼>, 1982년 <문학사상>에 발표된 <유다의 시간> 등 세 편으로 이루어진 이동하의 연작 장편소설이다. 각각 19개, 17개, 16개의 짧은 삽화들로 구성되어 있다. 전쟁과 이데올로기의 영향으로 시골에서 도시로 이주한 어린아이가 맞닥뜨린 도시의 궁핍, 허기, 죽음 등을 다루고 있다. 전후 도시의 가혹한 생태를 생생하게 다루었다는 평가를 받는다.

A Toy City is a novel by Yi Tong-Ha (alternatively Lee Dong-ha) that was originally published in three parts: “A Toy City” (1979) in the literary magazine Shindong-a; “The Hungry Soul” (1980) in Korean Literature; and “Time of Judas” (1982) in Literature & Thought. Episodic in nature, the three volumes consist of nineteen, seventeen and sixteen short episodes respectively. Written entirely from the point of view of a young boy, Toy Story deals with his encounters with poverty, hunger, and death in the city, where he is forced to move by war and ideological conflict. The novel is regarded by critics as a vivid depiction of the miseries of post-war life in the city.

Translated Books4 See More

  • English(English) Book Available
    A toy city
    LEE DONG-HA / LEE DONG-HA / 2003 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999
  • English(English) Book Available
    Toy City
    LEE DONG-HA / LEE DONG-HA / 2007 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999
  • Vietnamese(Tiếng Việt) Book Available
    THÀNH PHỐ ĐỒ CHƠI
    LEE DONG-HA / LEE DONG-HA / 2013 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999
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