Geum Hee

This is a Korean name; the family name is Geum.
Geum Hee
Language Korean
Nationality South Korean
Ethnicity Korean
Alma mater Teacher's College of Yanji City
Period modern
Korean name
Hangul 금희
Revised Romanization Geum Hui
McCune–Reischauer Kŭm Hŭi
Birth name
Hangul 김금희
Revised Romanization Gim Geumhui
McCune–Reischauer Kim Kŭmhŭi

Geum Hee (금희; born 1979) is a South Korean writer.[1]

Life

Geum was born in Jiutai, Changchun in northeastern China's Jilin province.[1][2] She is ethnically Korean (Joseonjok), and she grew speaking both Korean and Chinese. She graduated from the Yanji College of Education[2] and finished Thirteenth Advanced and Middle-Aged Writers class at the Lu Xun Literary Institute in Beijing.[1] There was a time where she came to live in South Korea for about two years with her husband where she took several jobs such as cleaning and serving at a restaurant.

Work

Geum's birth in China is why most of the setting or theme in her story stories set with Joseonjok or refugees from North Korea who have crossed over to China and/or Korea. She first started writing in 2006 where she wrote novels, and her first book Syuroedinggeo-ui Sangja (슈뢰딩거의 상자) was published in 2007.[2] She mainly writes her book to express what she feels and sees beyond a person's ethnicity and race. The writer has also mentioned that she wanted herself to feel free through writing her books.[2] The episodes of her books are influenced by the people around her who were refugee families from North Korea, a Joseonjok who married a South Korean exchange student and similar themes.[3]

Her first book was published in China but her stories regarding refugees were refused by the Chinese publications because this problem is also a sensitive matter in China.[3] Instead, she sent the copy to a South Korean publisher which gladly accepted to print her story. This story is Okhwa (옥화).[4]

In her book Sesang-e eomneun jip (세상에 없는 집), she writes in the dialect spoken by Koreans in China, which is different from the South Korean standard. This is why there are some expressions that came straight from the Chinese language and South Korean readers are unable to interpret. The author says that this is an inevitable due to the gap between cultural differences.[3]

Moreover, she says that she not only wants to focus on a specific group of people but want to write a book where everyone can relate to the characters.

Geum's sole translation into English is Ok-hwa, translated by Jeon Seung-hee,[1] which was a nominee for the prestigious Ku Sang Literary Award.[5]

Works in translation

Awards

Works in Korean (partial)

[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Geum Hee (2015). Ok-hwa. Asia Publisher. p. inner sleeve. ISBN 979-1156621249.
  2. 1 2 3 4 조, 용호 (2015-11-20), "경계인의 고단한 삶… 영혼의 탈출구는 어디에", Segye
  3. 1 2 3 김, 보경 (2015-11-18), "금희 "소설 쓰며 조선족의 정체성 찾고 싶었어요"", Yonhap
  4. ↑ "금희 "난 '조선어 소설' 마지막 세대… 절필 생각 들 때마다 버틴 힘"", Munhwa Ilbo, 2015-11-24
  5. ↑ Kerry, Paul (2015-09-09). "Seoul book club to host three rising Korean authors". Korea Herald. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  6. ↑ Geum Hee (2015). Ok-hwa. Asia Publisher. p. inner 311–13. ISBN 979-1156621249.
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