Chung Yeun-Hee (born 1936) is a South Korean novelist.
1. Life
Chung Yeun-Hee was born in Seoul and attended Sookmyung Girls' High School, going on to earn a BA in Korean literature at Ewha Woman's University. She made her literary debut in 1957, winning the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer's Contest with her short story "Paryusang" (파류상 The Wandering Disciple). She worked as a correspondent for the Kyunghyang Shinmun (1969) and the Chosun Ilbo (1971), and in 1988 became the publisher of the monthly Jubupyeonji. She taught at Ehwa's School of Continuing Education. In 1996 she served on PEN Korea's editorial board, and as president of the Korea Literary Women's Association in 2000. She is a member of the Korean Writers Association.
2. Writing
Chung Yeun-Hee made her literary debut in 1957, winning the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer's Contest with her short story "Paryusang." A prolific author, she has published such works as the novels Seongnyeo (석녀 Stone Woman), Bultaneun sinjeon (불타는 신전 The Burning Temple), Nanjido (난지도 Nanjido Island), Gananui bimil (가난의 비밀 Secret of Poverty), Baekseumu beonjjae jugeum (백스무 번째 죽음), and the essay collection Hannaje chotbureul kyeogo (한낮에 촛불을 켜고 Candles in the Day). She has mostly explored the loss and pains of the post-war generation against the turbulent backdrop of contemporary society.
As seen in Chung's debut work, "Paryusang," a portrait of a woman in search of God, and "Eoneu haneul mit" (어느 하늘 밑 Under Certain Skies), a sketch of the life of a young woman who attends night school, the sombre atmosphere of postwar society plays an important part in her works.
In novels such as Mongmareun namudeul (목마른 나무들 Thirsty Trees), the author's treatment of the war goes beyond that of immediate, sensory reaction, grappling with the problems of relationships in modern civilization. The author explores the influences of modern science and consumerist civilization on our being, and the conflict and morality surrounding human relations within. In Seongnyeo, her female characters are still conflicted in their daily lives and love affairs, but display a strong desire for self-realization, while her male characters show a critical attitude towards reality.
If Chung's early works tended towards the conceptual and philosophical, she eschews these tendencies in her later works, embracing a firmly realistic view of society and searching for alternatives offered by Christian values. Her Nanjido, published in 1983, in particular, is noteworthy in its treatment of social outrage according to Christian morality in the face of contemporary issues.
