Chae Man-Sik (June 17, 1902 – June 11, 1950) was a Korean novelist known for his satirical bent.
1. Life
Chae Man-sik was born in present-day Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. He graduated from Choogang High School and attended Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He worked as a reporter for the Dong-a Ilbo, the Chosun Ilbo, and Kaebyeok, as well as working as an editor for the Kaebyeok Publishing Company`s many magazines, including Hyeseong and Jeilseon. Chae Man-sik entered the literary scene in 1924 with the publication of his short story `Segilro` (세길로 Three Paths) in Joseon Munye. He first gained critical attention ten years later with the publication of the short story, `Redimeideu insaeng` (레디메이드 인생 A Ready-Made Life). In 1936 he moved to Kaesong (now in North Korea) to devote himself solely to creative writing.
2. Writing
Chae Man-sik`s literary career began with his first short story, `Three Paths,` in 1924. His early stories and plays were written from a class-sensitive perspective. With the publication of `A Ready-Made Life,` he began to focus his attention specifically on the plight of intellectuals and artists during an era of colonial oppression, which he expanded upon in later works such as Intelliwa bindaetteok (인텔리와 빈대떡 An Intellectual and Mung-Bean Pancakes) and `Chisuk` (치숙 My Innocent Uncle). Having been arrested by the Japanese colonial government in 1938 as a result of his affiliation with the Society for Reading, Chae Man-sik was released on the condition that he participate in a pro-Japanese literary organization, the Korean Literary Society for Patriotism. Chae complied, writing a handful of pro-Japanese works as a result, including a celebratory account of what he had observed when visiting the Japanese Army`s Manchurian Front in December 1942. After Korea`s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, however, Chae Man-sik openly reproached the pro-Japanese actions of Korean intellectuals at the end of the colonial period, his own included, by writing such works as Minjogui joein (민족의 죄인 Transgressor of the Nation) and `Yeongno` (역로 Railroad). Until his death in 1950, shortly before the outbreak of the Korean War, Chae Man-sik continued to produce satires of contemporary society in post-liberation Korea. The short stories `Maengsunsa` (맹순사 Constable Maeng) and `Non iyagi` (논 이야기 Story of a Rice Paddy) are particularly noteworthy in this regard, focusing on the turbulence and confusion of a society embarking upon the difficult process of rebuilding a nation. He published over 290 works in total throughout his life, including novels, short stories, essays, plays, and reviews. Chae Man-sik`s collected works were published in 1989 by the publishing house Changbi.
