ㅣNovella Transgressor of the Nation [English]

Author  Ch’ae Man-sik
Translator Jane Kim
Publisher Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Year Published 2014
Originally published in Korea by Baik Min in 1948

Transgressor of the Nation is a novella that was published only after Liberation. In this autobiographical work, Ch’ae Man-Sik himself denounces the pro-Japanese activities he had committed during the Japanese colonization. The work describes the confrontation between reporters condemning pro-Japanese activities and writers who were overtly cooperating with Japan. Through the conflict of the two main characters, the author ponders on what exactly can be considered pro-Japanese activities. Even now, there are debates on whether Ch’ae Man-Sik’s actions were pro-Japanese or not, and if the self-reflection contained in his novels are nothing more than excuses. Through his work, however, we feel the anguish felt by intellectuals at that time and see how contradictory the human mind can be.

ㅣ Short Story Broken Strings [English] 

Author Kang Kyung-ae
Translators Sora Kim-Russell
Publisher  Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Year Published 2013
Originally published in Korea by Chosun Ilbo in 1931

Broken Strings is a short story by realist writer Kang Kyung-ae. Her work is a calm and realistic depiction of the impoverished society during the Japanese occupation. The two main characters are college students, and the story vividly captures not only their anguish and suffering but also their awakening and willingness to fight. Kang’s delicate observations shine through her interest in societal problems involving lower classes and workers. The shocking ending draws awareness to the problems dealt with in the story.

ㅣ Short Story The Man I Met in the Lock Up [English]

Author Kim Sa-ryang 
Translators Jamie Chang
Publisher Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Year Published 2014
Originally published in Korea by Munjang in 1941

The Man I Met in the Lock Up is a short story by Kim Sa-ryang published toward the latter part of the colonization period in 1941. The story begins with a reporter recalling his encounter with Count Wang, a self-professed anarchist who wreaked havoc on a train and is a frequent visitor of the police station. Through the observant reporter and problematic count, Kim Sa-ryang draws attention to the contradictions of intellectuals living in the Japanese colonization period.

ㅣ Novel Harbin [English] 

Author Lee Hyoseok
Translators Ally Hwang
Publisher Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Year Published 2013
Originally published in Korea in 1940

Lee Hyoseok first achieved fame with the short story When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom. He then wrote Harbin, based on his travels to China. One particular short story is about an encounter that takes place in Harbin between a skeptic and a woman who thinks about death. In this story, Lee expresses his personal anguish and his observations of societal changes. For intellectuals of the Japanese colonial era, the city of Harbin represented an exotic destination to which many wished to travel at least once, a region where Russian culture meets the atmosphere of Europe, a city of culture and art. But the Harbin depicted in the novel is a place of chaos, from which it is possible to get a glimpse of the global state of affairs after WWII.

ㅣ Short Story Low Pressure Front [English]

Author  Cho Myunghee
Translator Sora Kim-Russell
Publisher Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Year Published 2014
Originally published in Korea by Joseon Jigwang in 1926

Cho Myunghee’s Low Pressure Front deals with ethnic and class contradictions in the Japanese colonial era. The main character struggles with difficulties in his daily life and at work, and boredom, despite his privileged position as an intellectual who is also a newspaper reporter. The realism in Cho’s work depicts the lethargy, disgust, and poverty that characterizes the lives of intellectuals at that time.

Jiyeon Kim

Jiyeon Kim is a content creator who reads, writes, and breathes contents. She dreams of devouring as much content as possible. After a career in online news media, she is now working as a writer for an online movie magazine.