Original Works

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Printed/Published Work Korean(한국어)

젊은 날의 초상

About the Original Works

Original Title
젊은 날의 초상
Title Romanization
Jeolmeun narui chosang
English Title(Printed)
A Portrait of Youthful Days
Classification

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

Author
Yi Mun-yol
Co-Author
-
Published Year
1981
Publisher
민음사
ISBN
-
The Series
김승옥 소설전집 ; 5
Main Characters
The narrator Yi Yeonghun, the Hwang siblings, Seo Dongho, Seonggu, Choi Gwangtaek, Park Yongchil, Mr. Ha, Kim, the knife sharpener
Subject/Theme
Lost youth; coming-of-age

About the Author

  • Yi Mun-yol
  • Birth : 1948 ~ -
  • Occupation : Novelist
  • First Name : Mun-yol
  • Family Name : Yi
  • Korean Name : 이문열
  • ISNI : 0000000081755894
  • Works : 91
Plot

As the narrator Yeonghun prepares for his college entrance exam, he stays with his brother at the latter’s home in Gangjin. As he assists his brother with his sand-mining business, he meets a variety of people and learns about their lives. After passing the exam, he spends many meaningless and youthful hours with Mr. Ha and Kim, an older man with whom he is close friends. However, when Kim dies in an accident, Younghoon is thrown into despair and drops out of college. He leads a vagrant life, working as a miner, a fisherman, and a bellboy at an inn, in search of hope in life. One day, he embarks on a trip, having decided he would like to see the ocean. When he arrives at Chamsuryeong Pass, he is struck by its extreme beauty, and he thinks it is something worth pursuing for the rest of his life.

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

1981년 민음사에서 출간된 이문열의 연작 장편소설이다. <하구>, <우리 기쁜 젊은 날>, <그해 겨울>의 3부작으로 구성되어 있다. 작가인 이문열의 자전적 색체가 엿보이며, 주인공인 '나(영훈)'이 성숙해져 가는 모습을 형상화했다. 인생에 대한 작가의 총체적 안목이 잘 드러나며 대중적으로 많은 사랑을 받은 작품이다.

Published by Minumsa in 1981, A Portrait of Youthful Days is a semi-autobiographical novel by Yi Mun-yol. It is the coming-of-age story of a young man named Yeonghun, told from his perspective. It is divided into three parts: “Mouth of a River,” “Our Happy Youthful Days,”, and “In the Winter of That Year.” The work has enjoyed popular success.

Translated Books4 See More

  • Chinese(汉语) Book Available
    青春肖像
    Yi Mun-yol et al / 李文烈 / 2006 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999
  • German(Deutsch) Book Available
    Jugendjahre
    Yi Mun-yol et al / Yi MunYol / 2004 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999
  • Spanish(Español) Book Available
    El Invierno de Aquel Año
    Yi Mun-Yol / Yi Mun-Yol / 2002 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999