Kim Dong-in
| Born | October 2, 1900 |
|---|---|
| Died | January 5, 1951 (aged 50) |
| Pen name | Geumdong, Chunsa, Kim Sieodim |
| Language | Korean |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김동인 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Kim Dongin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Tong-in |
Kim Dong-in (Hangul: 김동인) (1900–1951) was a Korean writer.
Kim Dong-in, born on October 2, 1900 in Pyeongyang, Pyeongannam-do was a pioneer of realism and naturalism in Modern Korean literature. A son of a wealthy landowner, like many other young Korean intellectuals Kim took his higher education in Japan, attending the Meiji Academy in Tokyo and entering the Kawabata School of Fine Arts. Kim dropped out when he decided to pursue writing as a career. In 1919, Kim and other advocates for "art-for-art's-sake-literature," launched the influential but transitory journal Creation (Changjo) in Japan along with Joo Yohan, Jeon Yeongtaek, Choi Seungman, and Kim Hwan.Creation took a stand against the didactic literature ("national literature" to put it another way) proposed by Yi Kwang-su, In Creation Kim published his debut story, “The Sorrows of the Weak” (Yakhanjaui seulpeum). In 1925, Kim published one of his most famous works, "Potato," which was a breakthrough in Korean "realist" fiction and a further salvo in his ongoing literary war with Yi Kwang-su.
Kim lived an extravagant lifestyle (thanks to the inheritance received from his father) until 1930, at which point his finances began to fail. Kim's financial situation led him to depression and drug abuse. Until this point, Kim had been a purist (colloquial and realistic) but he now turned to popular serials, which he had previously spurned. Among these were a number of historical novels (listed below). In 1934, Kim published, somewhat ironically considering their different stances on literature, the first in-depth study of Yi Kwang-su, "A Study of Chunwon” (Chunwon yeongu); in 1935, Kim launched the monthly magazine Yadam.
In 1939, still poor and now ill, Kim joined Park Yong-hui, Lim Hak-su and others in a visit to Manchuria that was sponsored by the North Chinese Imperial Army. This was clearly an act of collaboration and is regarded, even today in Korea, as a stain on his literary career. In 1942, however, Kim was jailed on charges of lese-majesty against the Emperor of Japan.
In 1946, after Korean liberation, Kim was critical in forming the Pan-Korea Writers Association which countered other organizations promoting proletarian literature.
In the years that followed, Kim published stories, including "The Traitor” (Banyeokja, 1946) and “Man Without a Nation” (Manggugingi, 1947). These works, ironically, provided a sharp critique of Lee Gwang-su and other writers who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation. On January 5, 1951, Kim died at his home in Seoul.
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