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House of Idols
96 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2003
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About the author
In-hun Choi
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Choi In-hun was born in 1936 in Hoeryong City, North Hamgyong Province, which is now in North Korea. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, he and his family fled to South Korea aboard a U.S. Navy ship. He studied law at Seoul National University, but joined the army without completing his final semester. His began publishing fiction while in the army, and was discharged in 1963. From 1977-2001, he served as a Professor of Creative Writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Choi In-hun was born in 1936 in Hoeryong City, North Hamgyong Province, which is now in North Korea. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, he and his family fled to South Korea aboard a U.S. Navy ship. He studied law at Seoul National University, but joined the army without completing his final semester. His began publishing fiction while in the army, and was discharged in 1963. From 1977-2001, he served as a Professor of Creative Writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2020
There are three short stories; House of Idols, End of The Road and Imprisoned. The book is named after the first short story. I found myself liking End of the Road for its storyline. It just depicts how hard it was living in that era, as a woman, and how things might not have changed much even now. The story that I find interesting though was Imprisoned. I was confused at what I was reading at first but got the idea halfway through the story. It was interesting to go into the mind of a mental patient and how he sees the world around him. Overall, this is a good collection of short stories. Would love to read more of Choi In-Hoon’s works.
November 16, 2023
3 short stories:
Summary (and spoilers!) below:
House of Idols, about a man, friend of a famous author. The narrator gets to know him, really likes him, and then finds out he is a mental patient.
End of the Road, which is basically about a road (highway and railroad) during postwar Korea. GIs pass, a teacher, a prostitute, and a kid.
Imprisoned. A story about a man, who we slowly find out is a mental patient.
I enjoyed this. Probably a bit more than "The Square" by the same author.
Summary (and spoilers!) below:
House of Idols, about a man, friend of a famous author. The narrator gets to know him, really likes him, and then finds out he is a mental patient.
End of the Road, which is basically about a road (highway and railroad) during postwar Korea. GIs pass, a teacher, a prostitute, and a kid.
Imprisoned. A story about a man, who we slowly find out is a mental patient.
I enjoyed this. Probably a bit more than "The Square" by the same author.
February 18, 2026
Choi In‑Hoon’s style is introspective, symbolic, and psychologically rich, giving the novella an atmosphere that feels both intimate and allegorical. His writing carries an existential resonance reminiscent of post‑war European existentialists, yet it remains distinctly his own. A recurring leitmotif throughout the narratives is the breakdown of traditional social systems and the characters’ confrontation with a world stripped of stable meaning.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews