Yang Gui-ja
양귀자
Yang Gui-ja was born in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, and graduated from Wonkwang University with a degree in Korean Literature. Yang made her literary debut in 1978 when her short story "Dasi sijakaneun achim" (다시 시작하는 아침 Starting a New Morning) won the New Writer's Contest hosted by the monthly Literature & Thought. In 1987 she achieved popular success with the release of her collection of linked short stories Wonmidong saramdeul (원미동 사람들 A Distant and Beautiful Place), for which she is still most famous. This collection was a painstaking depiction of the lives of people on the periphery of industrial culture. Yang is the recipient of the Yu Ju-hyeon Literary Award, the Yi Sang Literary Award, and the Hyundae Literary Award.
