Act 1, Scene 1
Lee Mu-young
Nov 2014 · 20th Century Korean Literature Book 37 · Literature Translation Institute of Korea
3.7star
3 reviewsreport
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24
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About this ebook
Lee Mu-young’s “Act I, Scene I” tells the story of Sutaek, a writer who leaves his city life behind to create a new life for himself as a farmer in the countryside. Through this transformation, he comes to reconcile with his father, a man of the soil who rails against the “city folk” for placing their self-interests and material comforts over the ethics of neighborly love and hard work. Sutaek also finds new inspiration for writing in the process of becoming a proper farmer. A work within the subgenre of agrarian literature, “Act I, Scene I” can also be read within the context of the Asia-Pacific War. The war and the total mobilization of society under the Japanese empire at this time, can be read in both the various details and the overall messages embodied in the text.
Ratings and reviews
3.7
3 reviews
Debra Chapman
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December 20, 2018
I love the story. Worth reading!
About the author
Lee Mu-young (1908 – 1960) was born Lee Yong-gu in Eumseong County of North Chungcheong Province. After dropping out of Huimun Common High School, he went to Japan and studied literature there. While he had published a piece in the journal Joseon Mundan earlier, it was not until 1932 when his play “The Daydreamers” was selected for publication in the daily Donga Ilbo that his writing career took off. After this, he also began working as a reporter for the arts section of the Donga Ilbo in colonial Korea. He became a member of the Research Group for the Dramatic Arts and in 1933 he also joined the modernist literary circle known as “The Group of Nine.” After liberation, he served as a professor at Dankook University. He became a member of the executive committee of the National Association of Literary Organizations in 1946 and the vice president of the Association of Korean Writers for Freedom in 1955.
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