“Why doesn’t this world frankly take the side of the innocent? Why doesn’t it grieve with those who have been wronged?”(Neupeseo naon saram (늪에서 나온 사람 The Person Who Came Out of the Marsh), MINUMSA Publishing Group, 1980)
Jung Yeonhi is a novelist whose fiction explores life in the aftermath of war and the pursuit of justice grounded in religious ethics.
1. Life
Jung Yeonhi was born in Seoul in 1936. She graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in Korean Language and Literature. In 1957, while still an undergraduate, she made her literary debut when her short story “Paryusang” won the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer’s Contest. She subsequently worked as a journalist for the Segye Ilbo and the Kyunghyang Shinmun, and also taught as a lecturer at Ewha Womans University. Jung has said her experiences in the aftermath of the Korean War prompted her to ask questions about human destiny. In the years following the war, Jung’s family struggled financially, while a neighbor enjoyed such prosperity that she could go horseback riding in full riding attire. This contrast between their circumstances prompted Jung to ask who determines the fate of human beings, and of women in particular. The 1960s marked another turning point in her life. She divorced her husband in 1966 and was forced to endure social prejudice and public scrutiny. Around the same period, she came to embrace Christianity and began writing works grounded in spiritual awakening. More than sixty years since her literary debut, Jung has continued to write actively.
2. Writing
Jung Yeonhi’s literary career is largely divided into two phases, with the 1960s marking a decisive turning point. Her early works are set against the turbulent backdrop of post-Korean War society, portraying a generation left disillusioned and disoriented by the war. She also wrote about women whose lives are damaged by men’s lust for power and domination. Her debut short story “Paryusang” (파류상 The Wandering Disciple) follows the life of a woman wandering in search of God, while “Eoneu haneul mit” (어느 하늘 밑 Under Certain Skies) centers on the daily life of a young woman attending night college. In these works, Jung focused on the somber atmosphere of postwar Korea, but in Mongmareun yeoindeul (, she moves beyond direct representations of wartime experience and broadens her thematic scope to examine the relationship between modern civilization and romantic love, turning her attention to the effects of the modern material culture on individual lives, as well as to the emotional conflicts and attachments that arise within human relationships. By the mid-to-late 1960s, Jung’s fiction had undergone a marked transformation. Through works informed by Christian faith, such as “Juyeo, nae jani neomchinaida” (주여, 내 잔이 넘치나이다 Lord, My Cup Runneth Over), “Yanghwajin” (양화진 Yanghwajin), and “Sungyoja Ju Gi-cheol” (순교자 주기철 Ju Gi-cheol, the Martyr), Jung not only captured the realities of Korean society with greater immediacy but also departed from the more abstract and philosophical tendencies that had characterized her earlier writing. In particular, “Nanjido” (난지도 Nanji Island), published in 1983, confronted the realities of contemporary society directly through Christian conceptions of justice and the social indignation that followed.
Reference
Kwon Young-min, Encyclopedia of Modern Korean Literature, Seoul National University Press, 2004.
Sookmyung Women’s University Korean Language and Culture Research Institute, (Dictionary of Korean Women Writers, Thaehaksa, 2006.
Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, “Novelist Jung Yeonhi Celebrating Her 60th Debut Anniversary, ‘Pain Was My Support,’” Culture+Seoul, September 2017.
Fiction
《목마른 나무들》, 여원사, 1963 / Mongmarun namdeul (Thirsty Trees), Yeowonsa, 1963
《아가》, 신태양사, 1966 / Aga (Baby), Sintaeyangsa, 1966
《백조의 행진》, 문예사, 1969 / Baekjoui haengjin (March of the Swans), Munyesa, 1969
《고죄》, 중앙출판공사, 1970 / Gojoe (Ancient Sin), Jungang Chulpan Gongsa, 1970
《일요일의 손님들》, 인문출판사, 1972 / Iryoirui sonnimdeul (Sunday's Guests), Inmun Chulpansa, 1972
《갇힌 자유》, 삼익, 1974 / Gatchin jayu (Imprisoned Freedom), Authentic Media, 2009
《꽃을 먹는 하얀 소》, 전예원, 1977 / Kkocheul meongneun hayan so (A Heifer That Eats Flowers), Jeonyewon, 1977
《소리치는 깃발》, 대운당, 1977 / Sorichineun gitbal (The Shouting Flag), Daeundang, 1977
《어느 하늘 밑》, 삼중당, 1977 / Eoneu haneul mit (Under Certain Skies), Samjungdang, 1977
《별이 숨은 호수》, 태창문화사, 1977 / Byeori sumeun hosu (The Lake Where Stars Hide), Taechang Munhwasa, 1977
《난장이 나라의 조종사》, 관동, 1977 / Nanjangi naraui jojongsa (The Pilot of the Dwarf Kingdom), Gwandong, 1977
《불타는 신전》, 대운당, 1979 / Bultaneun sinjeon (The Burning Temple), Daeundang, 1979
《그 겨울의 목신》, 예림출판사, 1979 / Geu gyeourui moksin (Pan of That Winter), Yerim Chulpansa, 1979
《땅 끝에서 부르는 노래》, 문예신조사, 1980 / Ttang kkeuteseo bureuneun norae (A Song Sung from the End of the Earth), Munye Sinjosa, 1980
《늪에서 나온 사람》, 민음사, 1980 / Neupeseo naon saram (The Person Who Came Out of the Marsh), MINUMSA Publishing Group, 1980
《여섯째날 오후》, 흥감사, 1982 / Yeoseotjjae nal ohu (The Sixth Day Afternoon), Heunggamsa, 1982
《내 잔이 넘치나이다》, 소설문학사, 1983 / Free on the Inside, Authentic, 2009
《난지도》, 정음사, 1985 / Nanjido (Nanji Island), Jeongeumsa, 1985
《뿔》, 문학사상, 1988 / Ppul (Horns), Munhak Sasang, 1988
《난지도》, 정음사, 1990 / Nanjido, Jeongeumsa, 1990
《석녀》, 문지사, 1990 / Seongnyeo (Stone Woman), Munjisa, 1990
《겨울 건너기》, 고려원(고려원미디어), 1990 / Gyeoul geonneogi (Crossing Winter), Koreaone (Koreawon Media), 1990
《양화진》, 홍성사, 1992 / Yanghwajin, Hongsungsa, 1992
《내 잔이 넘치나이다》, 홍성사, 1996 / Free on the Inside, Authentic, 2009
《남국북극 이야기》, 한국독서지도회(관일미디어), 1997 / Namgeuk bukgeuk iyagi (Stories of the South and North Poles), Hanguk Dokseojidohoe (Gwanil Media), 1997
《순교자 주기철 상-하》, 두란노, 1997 / Sungyoja Ju Gi-cheol sang-ha (Ju Gi-cheol, the Martyr, vols. 1–2), Duranno, 1997
《바위눈물》, 지혜네, 1999 / Bawi nunmul (Rock Tears), Jihyene, 1999
《순결》, 문화마당, 1999 / Sungyeol (Purity), Munhwa Madang, 1999
《주여, 내 잔이 넘치나이다》, 창해, 2005 / Juyeo, nae jani neomchinaida (Lord, My Cup Runneth Over), Changhae, 2005
《백스무 번째 죽음》, 마야, 2008 / Baekseumu beonjjae jugeum (The One Hundred and Twentieth Death), Maya, 2008
《비를 기다리는 달팽이》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2016 / Bireul gidarineun dalppaengi (A Snail Waiting for Rain), Sina Chulpansa (SINA), 2016
《바람의 날개》, 개미, 2017 / Baramui nalgae (Wings of the Wind), Gaemi, 2017
《고려의 혼》, 개미, 2018 / Goryeoui hon (The Soul of Goryeo), Gaemi, 2018
《여섯째 날 오후》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2018 / Yeoseotjjae nal ohu (The Sixth Day Afternoon), Sina Chulpansa (SINA), 2018
《거기 너 있었는가》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2018 / Geogi neo isseotneunga (Were You There?), Sina Chulpansa (SINA), 2018
《땅끝의 달》, 개미, 2021 / Ttangkkeucheui dal (The Moon at the End of the Earth), Gaemi, 2021
《난지도》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2021 / Nanjido (Nanji Island), Sina Chulpansa (SINA), 2021
《백스무 번째 죽음》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2021 / Baekseumu beonjjae jugeum (The One Hundred and Twentieth Death), Sina Chulpansa (SINA), 2021
《아이누, 아이누》, 신아출판사(SINA), 2022 / Ainu, Ainu, International Cultural Society of Korea, 1989
Essays
《그대 강가에 나의 등불을》, 삼익문화사, 1967 / Geudae gangga-e naui deungbureul (My Lantern by Your Riverside), Samik Munhwasa, 1967
《해가 뜰 때 출발을》, 중앙, 1971 / Haega tteul ttae chulbareul (Set Out When the Sun Rises), Jungang, 1971
《나를 만나러 가는 길》, 세종, 1977 / Nareul mannareo ganeun gil (The Road to Meeting Myself), Sejong, 1977
《하늘 사랑 땅 사랑》, 중앙일보사, 1986 / Haneul sarang ttang sarang (Love of the Sky, Love of the Earth), JoongAng Ilbosa, 1986
《한낮에 촛불을 켜고》, 문학사상사, 1988 / Hannaje chotpureul kyeogo (Candles in the Day), Munhak Sasangsa, 1988
《길따라 믿음따라》, 두란노서원, 1990 / Gilttara mideumttara (Following the Road, Following Faith), Duranno Publishing, 1990
《시베리아! 눈물의 낙원》, 양영각, 1994 / Siberia! nunmurui nakwon (Siberia! Paradise of Tears), Yangyeonggak, 1994
《언니의 방》, 삶과꿈, 1998 / Eonniui bang (My Sister's Room), Samgwa Kkum, 1998
《나비야 청산가자》, 문화마당, 1999 / Nabiya cheongsan gaja (Butterfly, Let Us Go to the Green Hills), Munhwa Madang, 1999
《봄흙처럼》, 이화여자대학교 출판문화원, 2004 / Bomheukcheorom (Like Spring Soil), Ewha Womans University Press, 2004
《천사의 바구니》, 수필과비평사, 2017 / Cheonsaui baguni (The Angel's Basket), Supilgwa Bipyeongsa, 2017
(co-authored) 《내 어머니》(답게, 2001) / Nae eomeoni (My Mother), Dapge, 2001
(co-authored) 《행복하게 사는 법》(연암서가, 2011) / Haengbokhage saneun beop (How to Live Happily), Yeonam Seoga, 2011
Miscellaneous
《빈 들로 가거라》(북치는 마을, 2012) / Bin duello gageora (Go to the Empty Fields), Bukchineun maeul, 2012.
LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
