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The Snowy Road & Other Stories: An Anthology of Korean Fiction
The Korean War and its aftermath serve as the backdrop for the six selections showcased in this collection offering the reader a rarely-glimpsed view of Korean life. Each of the authors represented here has been the recipient of the prestigious Korean People’s Literary Award . Their work focuses on ordinary Korean people and the impact of the war on their lives.
167 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1993
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March 29, 2021
Chung Yean-hee (정인희) - Balloon
Yoo Ick-suh (유익주) - Purchased Bridegroom
Park Bum-shin (박범신) - The Trap
Cho Jung-rae (조정내) - Echo, Echo
Yee Chong-joon (이청준) - The Snowy Road
Park Wan-suh (박완서) - Winter Outing
The Snowy Road and Other Stories has 6 short stories ranging from 20-30 pages each. The anthology is mostly translated by Hyun-jae Yee Sallee except for "The Trap", it is translated by Dr. Teresa M. Hyun. The stories are memorable on their own, but collectively they take you on a journey that spans several generations touching on different aspects of Korean life. “Balloon” was hard to connect with and understand, and it made me gag and writhe in shock midway. “Purchased Bridegroom” gave me deja-vu, I’m certain there is a South Korean film/drama that I’ve seen that has a similar storyline where a poor man marries a disabled woman for money. “The Trap” deals with two generation’s religious beliefs, and the ending is a shocking twist. “Echo, Echo” spans several decades and touches on the occupation of Japan, the split of Korea, and the struggle to survive in North Korea and then in South Korea during the Korean War. In this particular story you need to know a little bit of Korean history to understand what they are going through, in particular you might miss the reference of comfort women. “The Snowy Road” is told from a son’s perspective who is unfilial and a complete jerk that I wanted to punch his face every time I turned a page. I did have to do some research to further understand some themes, check the links below for further reading. The last story “Winter Outing” dealt with the remnants of the Korean War. I enjoyed the anthology very much and would recommend it.
“(The Snowy Road and Winter Outing) are available in better books elsewhere (The Hollym Snowy Road and in Land of Exile, respectively).” - Klit.com
I also found other reviews that further explain the stories in more depth, you can find the links below.
https://www.ktlit.com/review-of-the-s...
https://www.ktlit.com/the-snowy-road-...
Notes on the authors from the book.
“Chung-joon Yee is the author of the title story, The Snowy Road. Yee's works are given a distinctive character by his talent for plumbing the greatest depths to uncover the true meaning of an incident and thus hold more meaning for a reader willing to read between the lines. Yee received one of Korea's most prestigious literary awards, the Lee Sang Award, in 1978. One of his major works is a collection of short stories, Winter Square, which enjoyed a record thirteen printings in Korea.
Yean-hee Chung, author of Balloon, is critically acclaimed in Korea as an important and influential contemporary writer. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Korean Literature Writers Award. She has travelled extensively to many parts of the world and is currently a part-time instructor at Ewha Women's University in Seoul. Her favorite themes are showing the inner strength and virtue of endurance displayed by ordinary people facing life's daily challenges.
Wan-suh Park, author of Winter Outing, is the most prolific and one of the best-known women authors writing in Korea today. She started her writing career in her early forties and has vigor- ously demonstrated her story-telling talent and her keen percep- tion of life. She tells a story with a candid outlook combined with compassion. Combining a candid outlook with compas- sion, her unique style brings the reader a sense of hope despite the pathos and despair in life.
Bum-shin Park, author of The Trap, is best known for his novel Fire Country. Mr. Park is a respected and beloved author in Korea and an active member of PEN. The war-torn Korea of nearly four decades ago and its aftermath as reflected in family and society are favored themes in his work. He is the recipient of a literary award sponsored by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation. A part-time university instructor, he devotes his life to creative writing.
Ick-suh Yoo, author of Purchased Bridegroom, achieved fame with his novel Abel's Hours. His work centers on the innermost feelings of the less fortunate man. His protagonists are victims of rapidly changing economic and social conditions in modern Korea. His pen is as sharp as a knife; he penetrates into the mind of the reader to ask, "Can your conscience be clear when you continue to overlook such injustice in our society?" For the past few years, Mr. Yoo has been interested in folk music, and he has begun to use folklore as the basis for his plots.
Jung-rae Cho is the author of Echo, Echo. Mr. Cho's work con- centrates on the era of turmoil when Korea was under Japanese rule and on the political, economic, and social chaos of the early sixties. He brings a balanced perspective to daily problems, and although his characters are directionless at times, they transcend human suffering and hardship with much courage.”
Yoo Ick-suh (유익주) - Purchased Bridegroom
Park Bum-shin (박범신) - The Trap
Cho Jung-rae (조정내) - Echo, Echo
Yee Chong-joon (이청준) - The Snowy Road
Park Wan-suh (박완서) - Winter Outing
The Snowy Road and Other Stories has 6 short stories ranging from 20-30 pages each. The anthology is mostly translated by Hyun-jae Yee Sallee except for "The Trap", it is translated by Dr. Teresa M. Hyun. The stories are memorable on their own, but collectively they take you on a journey that spans several generations touching on different aspects of Korean life. “Balloon” was hard to connect with and understand, and it made me gag and writhe in shock midway. “Purchased Bridegroom” gave me deja-vu, I’m certain there is a South Korean film/drama that I’ve seen that has a similar storyline where a poor man marries a disabled woman for money. “The Trap” deals with two generation’s religious beliefs, and the ending is a shocking twist. “Echo, Echo” spans several decades and touches on the occupation of Japan, the split of Korea, and the struggle to survive in North Korea and then in South Korea during the Korean War. In this particular story you need to know a little bit of Korean history to understand what they are going through, in particular you might miss the reference of comfort women. “The Snowy Road” is told from a son’s perspective who is unfilial and a complete jerk that I wanted to punch his face every time I turned a page. I did have to do some research to further understand some themes, check the links below for further reading. The last story “Winter Outing” dealt with the remnants of the Korean War. I enjoyed the anthology very much and would recommend it.
“(The Snowy Road and Winter Outing) are available in better books elsewhere (The Hollym Snowy Road and in Land of Exile, respectively).” - Klit.com
I also found other reviews that further explain the stories in more depth, you can find the links below.
https://www.ktlit.com/review-of-the-s...
https://www.ktlit.com/the-snowy-road-...
Notes on the authors from the book.
“Chung-joon Yee is the author of the title story, The Snowy Road. Yee's works are given a distinctive character by his talent for plumbing the greatest depths to uncover the true meaning of an incident and thus hold more meaning for a reader willing to read between the lines. Yee received one of Korea's most prestigious literary awards, the Lee Sang Award, in 1978. One of his major works is a collection of short stories, Winter Square, which enjoyed a record thirteen printings in Korea.
Yean-hee Chung, author of Balloon, is critically acclaimed in Korea as an important and influential contemporary writer. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Korean Literature Writers Award. She has travelled extensively to many parts of the world and is currently a part-time instructor at Ewha Women's University in Seoul. Her favorite themes are showing the inner strength and virtue of endurance displayed by ordinary people facing life's daily challenges.
Wan-suh Park, author of Winter Outing, is the most prolific and one of the best-known women authors writing in Korea today. She started her writing career in her early forties and has vigor- ously demonstrated her story-telling talent and her keen percep- tion of life. She tells a story with a candid outlook combined with compassion. Combining a candid outlook with compas- sion, her unique style brings the reader a sense of hope despite the pathos and despair in life.
Bum-shin Park, author of The Trap, is best known for his novel Fire Country. Mr. Park is a respected and beloved author in Korea and an active member of PEN. The war-torn Korea of nearly four decades ago and its aftermath as reflected in family and society are favored themes in his work. He is the recipient of a literary award sponsored by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation. A part-time university instructor, he devotes his life to creative writing.
Ick-suh Yoo, author of Purchased Bridegroom, achieved fame with his novel Abel's Hours. His work centers on the innermost feelings of the less fortunate man. His protagonists are victims of rapidly changing economic and social conditions in modern Korea. His pen is as sharp as a knife; he penetrates into the mind of the reader to ask, "Can your conscience be clear when you continue to overlook such injustice in our society?" For the past few years, Mr. Yoo has been interested in folk music, and he has begun to use folklore as the basis for his plots.
Jung-rae Cho is the author of Echo, Echo. Mr. Cho's work con- centrates on the era of turmoil when Korea was under Japanese rule and on the political, economic, and social chaos of the early sixties. He brings a balanced perspective to daily problems, and although his characters are directionless at times, they transcend human suffering and hardship with much courage.”
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