Shim Hun
Encyclopedia
Shim Dae-Seop more commonly known by his pen name
Shim Hun, was a Korean novelist, poet, playwright and patriot.
in 1901 to an old Yangban family which for centuries held high government positions and served the royal court as ministers. His father is Shim Sang-Jeoung and his mother came from another notable Yangban family Yun (her father was a celebrated calligrapher). Shim Hun was the youngest of three sons and had one sister. He entered the Gyeongseong Ordinary School (경성보통학교, now Gyeonggi High School) in 1915, but due to his participation in the March 1st Movement
protests against Japanese rule in Korea
in 1919, was arrested and expelled. When he was in prison, Shim Hun wrote his famous impassioned letter to his mother vowing to fight for the freedom of his country ("the Greater Mother") from Japanese Rule. Imprisoned for eight months, he went into exile in Hangzhou
, China
where he attended the Zhejiang University, returning to Korea in 1923. From then until 1930, he worked as a newspaper columnist and reporter at the Dong-a Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Joseon Jung-ang Ilbo. His arranged marriage to his first wife Yi Hae-Yeong (이해영, 李海暎) ended in divorce (1917-1924). Yi Hae-Yeong was from the Yi Royal Family (daughter of Duke). In 1930, Shim Hun married Ahn Jeong-Ok (1913-2004), a "modern woman" whom he met at a music-theatre group, with whom he had three sons; Jae-Kun, Jae-Kwang and Jae-Ho. In 1935 he won an award for his most famous novel Sangroksu; he used the prize money to create the Sangrok Academy. Shim Hun is credited for the Sangrok (Evergreen Tree) movement which encouraged young, educated people to move to the countryside to educate and organize rural populace, and awaken them from their oppresion (e.g., Japanese colonial rule, traditional landed gentry class). He died in 1936 of typhoid fever
without seeing his country independence that came in 1945.
in 1930, in which he yearns for the day Korea gains independence from Japan. The poetry collection was censored by the Japanese and was not published until 1949. His novel Dongbang-eui Aein (동방의 애인, Lover from the East) was serialised
in the Chosun Ilbo beginning in October 1930. His Jiknyuseong ("Weaver Girl" star or Constellation Lyra) was serialized in Chosun Joong Ang Ilbo in 1934 and is believed to honor and be inspired by his first wife Yi Hae-Yeoung's life (she was a child prodigy who insisted on learning to write and attend school in an era when only boys enjoyed this right). He wrote Sangnoksu (상록수, Evergreen Tree) in 1935, a novel about rural development, while staying in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do
; it was published in a novel collection commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Dong-a Ilbos establishment in 1934. Shim Hun's last work was a poem "Chosuneh Nam-Ah" or "Chosun's Son" which he wrote after learning that the Korean marathon runner Song Gi-Jeoung won the gold medal for Marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As a colonial subject, Song was forced run wearing the Japanese flag. Shim Hun wrote the poem on a copy of the Special Bulletin that announced Song's victory.
Kunari Omyeon was published in 1949 since the original volume was censored and banned by the Japanese colonial government. A seven-volume series of his books, Shim Hun's Books, came out in 1952 and a three-volume series, Shim Hun's Complete Works, was republished in 1996.
Shim Hun's high school, Gyeonggi High School, issued an honorary diploma in his name in 2005. His third son Shim Jae-Ho, who lives in Virginia
, United States
, holds the original manuscripts of most of his works; he loaned them to be displayed in Dangjin in 2010. In 2011, the Korean Mint Ministry (KOMSCO) commemorated Shim Hun by issuing a Medal of Korean Historical Figure; Shim Hun was one of 100 notable historical figures to be recognized and honored.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Shim Hun, was a Korean novelist, poet, playwright and patriot.
Biography
Shim Hun was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in 1901 to an old Yangban family which for centuries held high government positions and served the royal court as ministers. His father is Shim Sang-Jeoung and his mother came from another notable Yangban family Yun (her father was a celebrated calligrapher). Shim Hun was the youngest of three sons and had one sister. He entered the Gyeongseong Ordinary School (경성보통학교, now Gyeonggi High School) in 1915, but due to his participation in the March 1st Movement
March 1st Movement
The March 1st Movement, or Samil Movement, was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the occupation of the Korean Empire by Japan. The name refers to an event that occurred on March 1, 1919, hence the movement's name, literally meaning "Three-One Movement" or "March First...
protests against Japanese rule in Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
in 1919, was arrested and expelled. When he was in prison, Shim Hun wrote his famous impassioned letter to his mother vowing to fight for the freedom of his country ("the Greater Mother") from Japanese Rule. Imprisoned for eight months, he went into exile in Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
where he attended the Zhejiang University, returning to Korea in 1923. From then until 1930, he worked as a newspaper columnist and reporter at the Dong-a Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Joseon Jung-ang Ilbo. His arranged marriage to his first wife Yi Hae-Yeong (이해영, 李海暎) ended in divorce (1917-1924). Yi Hae-Yeong was from the Yi Royal Family (daughter of Duke). In 1930, Shim Hun married Ahn Jeong-Ok (1913-2004), a "modern woman" whom he met at a music-theatre group, with whom he had three sons; Jae-Kun, Jae-Kwang and Jae-Ho. In 1935 he won an award for his most famous novel Sangroksu; he used the prize money to create the Sangrok Academy. Shim Hun is credited for the Sangrok (Evergreen Tree) movement which encouraged young, educated people to move to the countryside to educate and organize rural populace, and awaken them from their oppresion (e.g., Japanese colonial rule, traditional landed gentry class). He died in 1936 of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
without seeing his country independence that came in 1945.
Works
Shim Hun was a prolific writer. In his short life, he wrote several novels, short stories, plays and poems. He was a meticulous writer who kept original copies of his writing; most of Shim Hun's original manuscripts (over 4,000 pages) survive today. Shim Hun's 1926 novel Talchum (탈춤, Mask Dance) was the first Korean novel to be made into a movie. He wrote a collection of poetry Kunari Omyeon (그날이 오면, When that day comes) to commemorate a student independence movement in GwangjuGwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...
in 1930, in which he yearns for the day Korea gains independence from Japan. The poetry collection was censored by the Japanese and was not published until 1949. His novel Dongbang-eui Aein (동방의 애인, Lover from the East) was serialised
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
in the Chosun Ilbo beginning in October 1930. His Jiknyuseong ("Weaver Girl" star or Constellation Lyra) was serialized in Chosun Joong Ang Ilbo in 1934 and is believed to honor and be inspired by his first wife Yi Hae-Yeoung's life (she was a child prodigy who insisted on learning to write and attend school in an era when only boys enjoyed this right). He wrote Sangnoksu (상록수, Evergreen Tree) in 1935, a novel about rural development, while staying in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
; it was published in a novel collection commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Dong-a Ilbos establishment in 1934. Shim Hun's last work was a poem "Chosuneh Nam-Ah" or "Chosun's Son" which he wrote after learning that the Korean marathon runner Song Gi-Jeoung won the gold medal for Marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As a colonial subject, Song was forced run wearing the Japanese flag. Shim Hun wrote the poem on a copy of the Special Bulletin that announced Song's victory.
Kunari Omyeon was published in 1949 since the original volume was censored and banned by the Japanese colonial government. A seven-volume series of his books, Shim Hun's Books, came out in 1952 and a three-volume series, Shim Hun's Complete Works, was republished in 1996.
Legacy
75 years after his death in 1936, Shim Hun is still honored today as one of the pioneers of Modern Korean Literature, for his patriotic service to Korea through resistence and the Sangrok Movement, and for living a life that was an embodiment of exceptional artistic talent, prolific writing, and vision for his country's future freed from the darkness of colonialism. Shim Hun's writings are mandatory readings for all students in South Korea today.Shim Hun's high school, Gyeonggi High School, issued an honorary diploma in his name in 2005. His third son Shim Jae-Ho, who lives in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, holds the original manuscripts of most of his works; he loaned them to be displayed in Dangjin in 2010. In 2011, the Korean Mint Ministry (KOMSCO) commemorated Shim Hun by issuing a Medal of Korean Historical Figure; Shim Hun was one of 100 notable historical figures to be recognized and honored.
Pilgyungsa
In 1932, Shim Hun designed and built his house Pilgyungsa in Dangjin, Southern Chungcheong Province, where he wrote most of his major works and his children were born. Today, it is designated as a historical site preserved and managed by the Chungcheong Provincial Government. In addition, there is a Shim Hun Memorial adjacent to Pilgyungsa; the government is planning to build a new, expanded memorial.See also
- Korean literatureKorean literatureKorean literature is the body of literature produced in Korea or by Korean writers. For much of its 3,000 years of literature history, it was written both in Hanja and in Korean, first using the transcription systems idu and gugyeol, and finally using the Korean script Hangul. It is commonly...
- Sangroksu on the Korean-language WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...