Jung Mikyung (1960 – 2017) was a modern South Korean novelist.
1. Life
Jung Mikyung was born in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province. She graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in English literature. Jung made her literary debut in 1987 winning the drama category of the JoongAng Ilbo New Writer`s Contest with her play Pokseol (폭설 Heavy Snow). She then withdrew from writing for over a decade before returning with the short story `Biso yeoin` (비소 여인 The Woman With Arsenic) in 2001, published in the quarterly Segyeui Munhak. Her works include the short story collections Balkanui jangmireul naege jueonne (발칸의 장미를 내게 주었네 They Gave Me Balkan Roses), Nae adeurui yeonin (내 아들의 연인 My Son’s Girlfriend), Peurangseusik setakso (프랑스식 세탁소 The French Laundry); and the novels Jangmibit insaeng (장미빛 인생 La Vie en Rose), Isanghan seulpeumui wondeoraendeu (이상한 슬픔의 원더랜드 The Strange Sorrow of Wonderland). She is the recipient of the Yi Sang Literary Award and the Today’s Writer Award. Her short story collection, Saebyeokkkaji huimihage (새벽까지 희미하게 Faintly Until Dawn) and novels Gasuneun ibeul damune (가수는 입을 다무네 The Singer Shuts Up), Dangsinui aju meon seom (당신의 아주 먼 섬 Your Very Faraway Island) were released posthumously.
2. Writing
Korean critic Kim Kyung-Yeon has referred to Jung`s work as, `[portraying] a deceptive society full of absurd spectacle, where truth and falseness are intertwined, appearances define nature, and values are destroyed. She shows us the dark side of post-capitalist society through those who struggle to live amidst such absurdity.` Jung earned widespread critical acclaim with her second collection of short stories, They Gave Me Balkan Roses. At once an ironic portrayal of contemporary Korea and an intimate exploration of heartache, alienation, and nostalgia, the author explores the ambition and chaos of urban life, the lives of the lost and damaged souls it creates, and the subtle shades of love found between them. Peurangseusik setakso is another masterful collection from Jung that explores beneath the surface of everyday life. Stories like `Tainui salm` (타인의 삶 The Life of Others) for example, capture the instant when a perfectly ordinary life suddenly becomes an extraordinary one, not just to others but to the person in question. A 30-year-old man who has been leading a life of conventional success as a thoracic surgeon suddenly declares his intention to become a monk right before his wedding. His stunned fiancée learns that he has also been battling morphine addiction for many years. Even these reasons, however, do not seem enough for her to understand his drastic decision. “Sometimes in life, people make decisions they can’t explain. It’s not that they don’t have a reason, but that they don’t have the words to explain that reason,” the man replies. To take this character’s idea further, it is even more remarkable that Jung Mikyung’s work gives us an accurate portrayal of such moments in life that supposedly cannot be described in words.
Reference
[1] Korean Literature Now, Vol. 21, Autumn 2013. https://kln.or.kr/lines/reviewsView.do?bbsIdx=1119
