Son Chang-sop (1922 - 2010) was a South Korean novelist. He completed his middle school education in Kyoto and Tokyo. He then enrolled in law school at Nihon University but was unable to graduate. In 1949, he published a short story entitled “Ssaumui wonineun dongtaedaegariwa kkorie itda” (싸움의 원인은 동태대가리와 꼬리에 있다 The Fight Caused by the Head and Tail Frozen Pollack) in Yonhap Sinmun. In 1952, he published his short story “Gonghyuil” (공휴일 Holiday) in Munye and made his literary debut. Son Chang-sop’s work is known for its pessimistic and cynical portrayal of post-war life. He died in Japan on June 23rd, 2010.
1. Life
Son Chang-sop was born on May 20th, 1922, in Pyeongyang city, South Pyeongan Province. In 1936 he moved to Japan, where he spent time in many different areas. To put himself through his middle school courses, he worked a variety of jobs such as: newspaper delivery boy, carpenter’s apprentice, messenger for an opium wholesaler, and an odd-jobber for a factory. At the same time, he enjoyed reading through a collection of world literature books that he found in the house he stayed in. He was impressed most by Dostoevsky and Chekhov. While attending university, he became an enthusiast of Rousseau and Nietzsche. He returned to live in Pyeongyang in 1946. He moved south in 1948 and began to be more serious about his literary pursuits when he published the short story “Ssaumui wonineun dongtaedaegariwa kkorie itda” (싸움의 원인은 동태대가리와 꼬리에 있다 The Fight Caused by the Head and Tail Frozen Pollack) in Yonhap Sinmun. Working as a middle school and high school teacher, a reporter for a magazine, and an editor at a publisher, his life became more settled and secure. With a recommendation from the writer Kim Tong-ni, Son published the story “Gonghyuil” (공휴일 Holiday) in Munye in 1952 to make his literary debut. In the following years, he would publish several short stories and novels. In order to make a living, Son mainly published his novels as serials in a newspaper. In this way, he published Ingangyosil (인간교실 Human Classroom) in Kyunghyang Shinmun from 1963-1964, Iseongyeongu (이성연구 A Study of the Opposite Sex) in Seoul Shinmun from 1965-1966, and Gil (길 Road) in Dong-A Ilbo from 1968 to 1969. In 1973, Son abruptly moved to Japan where he changed his name to Ueno Masaru (上野昌涉). Little else is know about his life after this until his death on June 23rd, 2010. After his death, the 2015 winter edition of Writer’s World published 70 handwritten sijos (시조 traditional Korean three-verse poem) by Son Chang-sop which were providedby his daughter Son Do-suk. [1]
2. Writing
In the nearly 30 years of his writing career, from his first story “Ssaumui wonineun dongtaedaegariwa kkorie itda” (싸움의 원인은 동태대가리와 꼬리에 있다 The Fight Caused by the Head and Tailor Frozen Pollack) published in Yonhap Sinmun in 1949, to his serialized novel Bongsullang (봉술랑 Bonsullang) published in HankookIlbo from 1977-1978, Son Chang-sop wrote 40 short stories, 13 novels, 9 YA novels, 8 contes, a children’s poem, and 21 essays. While often using physically and mentally disabled characters, his work captures the tragic and cold realities of post-war Korean society. Son Chang-sop is sometimes referred to as a “1950s writer,” as well as a “writer of post-war literature,” and a “portrayer of the humiliation of the human condition.” By showing the devastating effects war has on daily life, he is able to present a more unique picture of life than other post-war writers. [2]
One of Son’s early short stories, “Bioneun nal” (비오는 날 Rainy Days) (1957), takes place in Busan just after the end of the Korean war. The story begins with Wongu meeting up with his childhood friend, Donguk, who has an injured leg. Donguk arranges the marriage between his sister Dongok and Wongu, but one day both Donguk and Dongok suddenly disappear. From the new homeowner, Wongu hears that Donguk was dragged off by the military and that a letter Dongok had written him was lost through carelessness. Rain is near constant in the story which stands as a reflection of the mental state of the characters as well as the more general gloom of the society and natural surroundings of the time.
Son Chang-sop’s novel Ingyeoingan (잉여인간 Superfluous Man) was published in 1958 and won the Dongin Literary Award. This novel tells the story of Seo Mangi, owner of Mangi’s Dentistry, and shows the lives and events of all the people around him, such as: Chae Ikjun who has a strong sense of justice but lacks the ability to support his own family, Cheon Bongwo who receives an allowance from his wife, a nurse named Hong Insuk and Mangi’s sister-in-law who are both in love with Mangi, Cheon Bongwo’s wife who tries to use the hospital’s facilities to seduce Mangi, among several other characters. Using the terrible social reality of the post-war times as background, this novel explores the conditions of humanity through a wide range of characters and lives.
Son’s novel Sinui huijak (신의 희작 God’s Comedy) (1961) is subtitled “a self-portrait,” and due to several similarities it has with his own life, it is considered to be an autobiographical novel. The main character is simply called “S” and is a novelist that the story depicts from childhood to the present. By depicting “S”’s suicide attempt, sexual assault, and bedwetting, the novel shows the “tragic humor” of the novelist’s personal life.
After publishing Sinui huijak, Son begins to publish his novels as serials in newspapers to earn more money, and his novels become much more conventional. He published Ingangyosil (인간교실 Human Classroom) in Kyunghyang Shinmun from April 22nd, 1963 to January 1st, 1964. The novel describes the series of events that happen in the life of Mr. Gap when a renter moves into his Heukseok-dong house. Through characters such as Mr. Gap’s wife; the renter, a woman who ran away from her husband due an adulterous relationship; and a college student who becomes a prostitute, the novel explores such difficult themes as free love, illegitimate children, the abuse of a maid, and abortion. In doing so, the novel explores the various and changing sexual customs and taboos of the time while also utilizing mystery genre techniques to create an exciting storyline.
The novel Yumaeng (유맹 Nomads) was serialized in the Hankook Ilbo from January 1st 1976 to October 28th of the same year. The narrative is split into two story lines, switching between the life Choi Wonbok, an elderly first generation Korean living in Japan, and an unnamed first person narrator. The novel portrays the difficulty of first and second generation ethnic Koreans living in Japan. Choi Wonbok securely identifies as Korean, but his son finds the discrimination so painful that he commits suicide. Wonbok has a friend who is also ethnic Korean but lives as if he were Japanese, and his son has grown to hate all ethnic Koreans. Meanwhile, the unnamed narrator observes all these events and muses on how these characters live a kind of nomadic lifestyle, never being able to settle into a true home. Seeing as how Son wrote this novel while living in Japan, it is considered as another autobiographical novel. [3]
Reference
[1] 방민호, <그는 ‘마지막까지’ 한국인이었다-손창섭의 시조를 소개하며>, ≪작가세계≫ 27. 작가세계, 2015 / Bang Minho, “He Was Korean to the Very End—Introducing the Sijo of Son Chang-sop”, Writer’s World, v. 27, 2015
[2] 홍주영, <손창섭 소설에 나타난 부성 비판의 양상 연구>, 서울대학교 석사학위논문, 2002. / Hong Juyoung, “A Study on the Aspects of Criticism of Paternity in the Novels of Son Chang-sop”, Seoul University Master’s Thesis, 2002
[3] 3) 정철훈, ≪내가 만난 손창섭≫, 도서출판b, 2014 / Jeong Cheolhun, The Son Chang-sop I knew, bBooks, 2014
