The Soil

by Yi Kwang-su, Sun-Ae Hwang (Translator), Horace Jeffery Hodges (Translator)

Overview

A major, never before translated novel by the author of "Mujông / The Heartless"—often called the first modern Korean novel—"The Soil" tells the story of an idealist dedicating his life to helping the inhabitants of the rural community in which he was raised. Striving to influence the poor farmers of the time to improve their lots, become self-reliant, and thus indirectly change the reality of colonial life on the Korean peninsula, "The Soil" was vitally important to the social movements of the time, echoing the effects and reception of such English-language novels as Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564789112
Publisher:	Deep Vellum Publishing
Publication date:	11/16/2013
Series:	Library of Korean Literature Series , #8
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	774,719
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Yi Kwang-su was born in 1892 during the twilight years of the Korean monarchy, which ended in 1910 with the anexation of Korea by Japan. Recognized as one of modern Korea's best novelists, especially for his 1917 novel The Heartless, he died in disfavor in 1950, accused of collaboration with the Japanese.

Jang Jung-il was born in 1960. Self-educated, Jang's wide-ranging tastes led him to try his hand at various genres once he began his career as an author. Jang Jung-il is infamous-and has even been jailed-for his erotic and violent fiction. He continues to write, albeit with less controversy, given Korean society's increasing liberality.

Jang Jung-il was born in 1960. Self-educated, Jang's wide-ranging tastes led him to try his hand at various genres once he began his career as an author. Jang Jung-il is infamous-and has even been jailed-for his erotic and violent fiction. He continues to write, albeit with less controversy, given Korean society's increasing liberality.