Pak Hwasŏng or Pak Kyŏngsun (1904–1988) was a Korean novelist, short story writer and essayist. A witness to both Korea under Japanese rule and the Korean War, Pak's stories foregrounded social concerns and the particular situation of women caught in circumstances out of their control.[1]

Life edit

Pak Hwasŏng's first published story, 'Ch'usŏk chŏnya' (Autumn Harvest Day Eve) - the story of a girl working in a textiles factory - appeared in the literary magazine Chosŏn mundan in 1925. In 1926 she enrolled in the English department of Nihon Women's College in Japan, joining the Tokyo branch of Kŭnuhoe.[2] Unable to complete her studies, Pak returned to Korea, working as an educator in schools and for a variety of literary organizations.[1]

Works edit

  • 'Ch'usŏk chŏnya' (Autumn Harvest Day Eve), 1925, first published in the literary magazine Chosŏn mundan
  • Hongsu chŏnhu (Before and After the Flood), 1932
  • Paekhwa (White Flower), 1932. Serialised in Tonga ilbo.
  • 'Kohyang ŏmnŭn saramdŭl' (People without Homeland), 1936
  • Hyuhwasan (Inactive Volcano), 1977
  • Kohyang ŏmnŭn saramdŭl (People Without A Homeland'), 1994

References edit

  1. ^ a b Carolyn So, 'Pak Hwasŏng', in Jane Eldridge Miller, ed., 'Who's Who in Contemporary Women's Writing, pp.248-9
  2. ^ Hyaeweol Choi (2012). New Women in Colonial Korea: A Sourcebook. Routledge. pp. 220–1. ISBN 978-0-415-51709-6.