LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
Park Wansuh in China scrap
by Guan Shu Ning
November 5, 2014
Author Bio 작가 소개
Park Wansuh
On a mission to translate, introduce, and disseminate exceptional cultures from all over the world, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, China’s greatest publishing company specializing in translated works, publishes over 300 titles each year, over half of which are Chinese translations of foreign literature. The published books have garnered an outstanding reputation in China for their carefully selected subjects and superior translations. As Korea becomes increasingly distinguished on the international political and cultural stages, Chinese readers have shown great curiosity and interest in the literature and arts of their neighboring country. Shanghai Translation Publishing House not only began to introduce translations of Korean literature relatively early, but is also one of the few Chinese publishers to have long maintained friendly cooperative relations with the Korea Literature Translation Institute. In 1997, the house began publishing translations of modern Korean literature and in the past ten years has presented over 30 titles in a variety of genres including literary fiction, political novels, historical biography, detective novels, poetry, and picture books.
Park Wansuh (1931- ), whose works have recently been translated in China, is one of the writers receiving the most attention. One of Korea’s famous female writers, Park gained increasing recognition among Chinese readers after her most well-known works translated into Chinese left an indelible impression. Shanghai Translation Publishing House introduced The Loneliness of You and The Naked Tree in 2006 and 2007, respectively. In 2009, A Very Old Joke, another famous work, will be published.
A short story collection that embodies the “joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure” of old age, The Loneliness of You contains ten stories including “Unbearable Secret,” “That Woman’s House,” and “The Woman and Her Ball Games.” Park has remarked that although one of the most toilsome aspects of putting together a work of fiction is reading the proofs carefully, for some reason she enjoyed proofreading this collection without getting bored. In the preface, the author, pushing 70 at the time of publication, writes as follows: “The short stories in this collection are mostly stories that – from young people’s perspective – lead them to wonder what they [old people] live for. Don’t pity old folks too much – there’s still plenty to savor in old age.
Of course not everything I suggest you savor is sweet. The wisdom of age is to know bitter and dolorous tastes, and I want to proudly affirm my age, which I couldn’t hide if I tried anyway.” Even if a person is unable to move forward or even takes a few steps back as she ages, she can transcend herself with dignity, as long as she does not give up and instead, chooses to confront. Any reader who possesses this kind of spirit and faith would appreciate the beauty of Park’s collection of short stories. Such is the beauty that arises from being in harmony with one’s age, rarely found in other fiction. This collection includes both the unbearably passionate love stories of youth and the enthralling, heartwarming love stories of old people. In other words, they are stories with which not just aged readers but young readers can also identify. Through this collection, readers can at once experience the life of the elderly as well as understand the reality of Korean society and the sensibility of Koreans.
The Naked Tree is Park’s debut as well as one of her most important works. By describing the distorted life, destiny, and inner world of ordinary people of the war generation, this novel set during the Korean War, conveys the loneliness and the desire for love and happiness of those who experienced the upheaval of war. The naked tree in the novel is a symbolic object drawn by the painter Ok Hui-do who, as a result of the war’s turmoil, ekes out a living by painting portraits for American soldiers in Seoul. Although Ok’s painting depicts a dead tree in the eyes of the protagonist, the naked tree, which has firmly endured the bitter cold, expresses the painter’s yearning for spring. At the same time, it is also a vivid depiction of the countless masses that suffered through the cruel war like the painter Ok, the college dropout Hwang Tae-su, and the protagonist, who carries the responsibility for the livelihood of her family on her frail shoulders. Thirty years after its publication, this work, which has been loved by several generations of Korean readers, continues to radiate a timeless charm.
One Chinese daily has commented that Park, a born storyteller, reflects on the fundamental issue of life in many of her works. In a male-centered society, she expresses modern women’s friendships, emotional bonds, and tender maternal love from a woman’s perspective. The moralist of our times, Park depicts stories, all the more beautiful because of their ordinariness, in a calm tone and with pointed admonitions.
The Naked Tree
Park Wansuh, Segyesa Co., Ltd., 2002, 318p
ISBN 89-338-0069-7
The Loneliness of You
Park Wansuh, Changbi Publishers, Inc., 1998, 303p
ISBN 89-364-3652-X
By Guan Shu Ning (Editor, Shanghai Translation Publishing House)
Writer 필자 소개
Guan Shu Ning
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