Kim Namcheon (1911~1953) was a Korean novelist. He graduated from Pyongyang High School. In 1929, while studying at Hosei University in Japan, he joined Korea Artista Proleta Federatio (KAPF), and went on to become a leading novelist and literary critic of social realism in the 1930s. He played a key role in the second transformation of KAPF in 1931. After the dissolution of KAPF, he introduced the theory of realism, and published self-accusatory works such as “Cheoreul ttaerigo” (처를 때리고 After Beating My Wife) (1937). His most representative works include the novel Daeha (대하 Scenes from the Enlightenment) (1939) and short stories “Maek” (맥 Pulse) (1941), and “Gyeongyeong” (경영 Management) (1940).
1. Life
Kim Namcheon (birth name: Kim Hyosik) was born in March 1911 in Seongcheon-gun, South Pyongan Province. Little is known about his childhood. He entered Pyongyang High School in 1926, and published the literary magazine Wolyeok together with Han Jaedeok. During this time, he read works from the East and the West, and wrote some ten stories. After graduating from Pyongyang High School in 1929, he went to Tokyo, Japan to study at Hosei University. It was around this time that he was advised to join KAPF. Together with Im Hwa, he worked on Musanja, a journal published by the Tokyo branch of KAPF. He actively called for reform of KAPF and dissolution of Singanhoe or New Trunk
Association. In 1931, he gave himself the penname Kim Namcheon. After getting expelled from university for his left-wing activities, he returned to Korea and participated in the second transition of KAPF. In October of the same year, he got swept up in the first round of arrests of KAPF. In 1933, he was released on sick bail, and published a short story titled “Mul!” (물! Water!) based on his own prison experience, which then gave rise to a discussion between him and Im Hwa over the question of class subjectivity within literary practice. After the dissolution of KAPF in 1935, he devoted himself to writing novels and literary criticism. In 1937, he created a series of creative theories—such as ‘literature of morality’ and ‘literature of accusation’—followed by the publication of self-accusatory works including “Nammae” (남매 Brother and Sister) and “Cheoreul ttaerigo” (처를 때리고 After Beating My Wife). In 1939, he serially published the novel Sarangui sujokgwan (사랑의 수족관 The Aquarium of Love), alongside the publication of Daeha (대하 Scenes from the Enlightenment) and Sonyeonhaeng (소년행). After the publication of “Maek” (맥 Pulse), “Nangbi” (낭비 Waste), and “Gyeongyeong” (경영 Management) in 1940, his literary activities decreased dramatically.
After liberation in 1945, he founded the Joseon Literature Construction Center with Im Hwa, and then served as the Secretary General of the Joseon Literary Union. In 1947, he defected to North Korea with writers who sided with the Workers’ Party of South Korea. Published in 1951, during the Korean War, his short story “Kkul” (꿀 Honey) provided an apt excuse for purging him. It is said that he was purged along with Im Hwa in 1953, but the date of his death remains unclear (he may have been executed in 1953 or 1955, or may have even survived until 1977).
2. Writing
The writing of Kim Namcheon is often evaluated against his own creative theories such as ‘literature of morality’ and ‘literature of accusation’ that he proposed after the dissolution of KAPF and put into practice in his own writing. In particular, Kim defined himself as a petit bourgeois intellectual, and focused on how petit bourgeois intellectuals could embrace the working-class worldview. Based on this, he considered how to construct social realism as a theory that could operate in reality. This process is reflected in the changes in his creative theories—from petit bourgeois self-accusations to ‘literature of observation’.
Prior to the dissolution of KAPF, Kim Namcheon, together with Im Hwa, took an extreme left-wing stance and criticized Kim Gi-jin’s popularization of professional literature. In his work “Gongjangsinmun” (공장신문 The Factory Newspaper) published in 1931, a factory worker named Gwansu asserts his autonomy through the factory newspaper. The first issue of the factory newspaper is issued in the midst of increasing discontent as promises to improve working conditions are not kept. The newspaper arouses anger amongst the factory workers by blowing the whistle on some corrupt members of the union. Then, Gwansu is elected as a new leader.
Based on Kim Namcheon’s own experience in prison, “Mul!” (물! Water!) (1933) is famous for the author’s argument with Im Hwa over the issue of water. On a hot summer day, there’s not enough water inside a cramped prison cell. The inmates ask the prison guard for more water, but their requests are not easily accepted. Soon after, the prison guard brings them some tap water, and the protagonist imagines the sound of water to be that of a cataract. Yet, he soon gets diarrhoea, and, like the rest of the inmates, must wait for the toilet to be free. At a time when the class literary movement sought a new direction, the debate over “Mul!” caused tension and conflicts with regards to the ideology and practice of class literature.
After the dissolution of KAPF, Kim published a series of self-accusatory works such as “Nammae” (남매 Brother and Sister) (1937), “Cheoreul ttaerigo” (처를 때리고 After Beating My Wife) (1937) and “Chumchuneun nampyeon” (춤추는 남편 A Dancing Husband) (1937), thereby practicing self-criticism through literature.
“Cheoreul ttaerigo” is the story of a man named Cha Nam-su, a former socialist who has been to prison. While preparing to start a publishing business, he discovers that his wife has taken a walk with one of his colleagues, Kim Jun-ho. Instead of blaming his business partner Jun-ho, he picks a fight with his wife, who then exposes Nam-su’s falsehood in full. Later, Jun-ho tells Nam-su that he has got a new job and must therefore opt out of the business plan. This story puts Kim Namcheon’s literature of accusation into practice by revealing the snobbery, violence, and false relationships among intellectuals.
Kim Nam-cheon’s full-length novel Daeha (대하 Scenes from the Enlightenment) takes the form of a family chronicle. Set against the backdrop of the enlightenment, the story spans over five generations. Part One introduces the grandfather from the first generation, who makes his fortune, and Park Sun-il from the second generation, who squanders the family money. In Part Two, Park Seong-kwon from the third generation saves his family from further decline by benefitting from the Sino-Japanese War. In addition, his relationships with his four sons and grandson are closely observed. This overview of changes in the social order delicately captures the relationship between individuals and society. However, some critics say that the novel is somewhat inadequate in terms of narrative composition and character development.
Kim’s monumental novella, Maek (맥 Pulse) (1940), follows up on the stories of “Gyeongyeong” (경영 Management) (1940) and “Nangbi” (낭비 Waste) (1940). The protagonist Choi Moo-kyeong supports her fiancé Oh Si-hyung while he serves time in prison on account of socialist activism. However, once released from prison, Oh Si-hyung, contrary to Moo-kyeong’s expectations, drifts away from her, and she, too, resolves to build her own life. As the story continues, Oh Si-hyung denounces his views and his relationship with Choi Moo-kyeong takes a turn for the worse. This is not wholly unrelated to Kim Namcheon’s own concerns over conversion under such chaotic social circumstances at that time. The book has received both negative (‘a mix of artistry and conventionality’) and positive (‘the finest conversion novel and the only work of Korean literature dealing with ideological issues’) assessments. 1)
