Kim Jiwon (; November 10, 1943 – January 30, 2013) was a South Korean writer.
Life
Kim Jiwon was raised in a literary family. She was born in 1943 in
Keiki-dō
, alternatively Keiki Province, was a province of Korea under Japanese rule. Its capital was at Keijō (Seoul). The province consisted of what is now the South Korean territories of Seoul and Gyeonggi, as well as parts of what is now southern Nor ...
(
Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea.
Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...
),
Korea, Empire of Japan
From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon".
Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...
to
Choe Jeong-hui
Choe Jeong-hui (1912–1990) was one of the most successful early women writers in South Korea.
Life
Choe Jeong-hui was born in Dancheon, South Hamgyong Province and was educated in Seoul. She worked at a kindergarten in Tokyo and as a journ ...
, one of the most popular female Korean writers in the twentieth century, and
Kim Dong-hwan, a famous poet. Kim's sister,
Kim Chae-won
Kim Chaewon (; born August 1, 2000) is a South Korean singer. She is the leader of South Korean girl group Le Sserafim and a former member of the girl group Iz*One, having finished tenth in the reality competition series ''Produce 48'' in 2018 ...
, is also a writer.
[Words of Farewell, Bruce Fulton (trans) Seal Press, 1989 p. x] Kim Jiwon graduated from
Ehwa University in 1965, emigrated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
in 1973, and published her first story in 1974. She lived in New York from the 1970s until her death.
[
]
Work
Kim wrote primarily about women in failed relationships with husbands (''A Certain Beginning'' in 1974 and ''Lullaby'' in 1979).[ In ''A Certain Beginning'' a woman is hopelessly trapped between social expectations of money and relationships. Set in the United States, the story features the protagonist, Yun-ja, agreeing to marry Chong-il so that he can get a green card. Middled-aged and having been left by her first husband, Yun-ja hopes that the wedding will actually work out, both because it would be a welcome change and because she yearns for a better apartment. While both Yun-ja and Chong-il seem open to this possibility at first, Chong-il comes to see his arrangement as the purchase of an aging prostitute. Women are portrayed as having only their bodies as assets and, although Yun-ja makes a brave statement of independence at the end of the book, it seems an empty statement given her feelings of vulnerability related to her previous marriage, age, and physical condition.
Kim's story ''Almaden'' is similar: a Korean woman living in New York is unhappy with her marriage and life. At the liquor store where she and her husband work, a regular client becomes the focus of her dreams of relationship. She becomes increasingly unhappy with her real life but, when her fantasy lover disappears, she is left back in her initial position, hoping that someone else will come to rescue her from her plight.
]
Works in English
* "A Certain Beginning" and "Lullaby" (in ''Words of Farewell Stories by Korean Women Writers'')"
* "Almaden" (in ''The Future of Silence Fiction By Korean Women)''
Works in Korean (Partial)
* "Almaden" (알마덴), 1988
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jiwon
1943 births
Ewha Womans University alumni
2013 deaths
20th-century South Korean novelists
International Writing Program alumni