The Essence of Korean Literature: 19 Outstanding Short Stories by Our Authors
A Korean short story about growing up while enduring the hardships of the Japanese colonial period and the tragedy immediately following liberation.
A selection of works that capture the realities of the times while conveying deep insights across generations.

“The sky was so cloudy that it looked like it was going to snow, but it didn’t snow and instead a freezing rain fell in patches.”

Modern Korean short stories can be said to have begun with Kim Dong-in in the early 1920s.
In just over a decade, many writers published diverse and high-quality works, showing that Korean novels of the 1930s had already matured.
Although the harsh conditions of the late colonial period and the tragic history immediately following liberation were major obstacles to the development of Korean literature, Korean novels have steadily developed over the generations and accumulated many masterpieces.

Although literature is said to be a reflection of reality, the Korean short stories included here recreate the lives of a bygone era.
Yet, it doesn't stop there; it contains deep insights into the universal problems of life.
I hope that these novels will be widely read not only by Korean readers but also by readers around the world.
- Lee Nam-ho, from “The Compiler’s Note”