Novel
임꺽정
Not translated into English
Hong Myeong-hui · 1928
Synopsis
In the middle of the Joseon dynasty, Im Kkeok-jeong belongs to the butcher class, the most despised condition in the kingdom. The narrative follows his childhood, his years of apprenticeship with a shoemaker and his marriage, which makes him the son-in-law of a baekjeong family, while at court we encounter Queen Munjeong and Yun Won-hyeong, and exiled scholars such as Yi Jang-gon. Then, one by one, come the companions who bind themselves to him by oath, and the outlaw band he leads against the established order.
Context
The novel appeared as a serial in the Chosun Ilbo from November 1928 to March 1939, under a longer title that its author shortened in 1937, interrupted several times by prison and illness; in 1940, after the newspaper was closed, the continuation passed to the magazine Jogwang, and the work remained unfinished after thirteen years. It has five parts. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture sees in it a monumental work, which opened to the realist historical novel a horizon centred on the people, while noting a hostile view of women.
Who it is for
An unfinished epic novel in five parts, in a language rich in dialects and archaic words, with no French translation.
Prizes and reception
According to the National Hangeul Museum, the serial was read by a wide public; a Chinese translation appeared in 1988.
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