Editor's Note

Abstract

Editor's Note Young-Jun Lee A century's worth of change looks quite remarkable in Korean literature. Today's young Koreans cannot read the same newspapers read by their grandparents' generation. In less than a hundred years, the national written language has shifted from Chinese characters to Korean hangul, then briefly to Japanese as enforced under colonial rule, and then to the modern Korean language that we know today. During this process, remarkable sociocultural transformations dominated daily life. Over the first half of the 20th century, Koreans endured enormous political shifts most notably marked by colonization, the Korean War, and the ensuing divide of the country into separate political nations. Along the way, Korean literature registered these upheavals and fluctuations. Notably, the literature of totalizing grand narrative, which concerned itself with the trajectory of nation-building, persisted in Korea until the 1980s. Ever since the end of the military dictatorship and the establishment of a civil government in the 1990s, however, that literature began to shift its focus to the lives of women. Now, those long ignored and marginalized—including queer women, as well as other queer people such as those who are non-binary—have also begun to emerge more strongly as published authors, even as they have been increasingly centered as subjects of literary narratives. The ongoing impact of this inclusive, expansionary shift can be seen directly in AZALEA's decision to focus on LGBTQ+ literature for its fifteenth issue. [End Page 7] The vanguard of this new wave of queer representation in Korea includes writers such as Park Sang Young, Kim Mella, Kim Hyun, Han Junghyun, Hwang Jiun, and Im Guk Yeong, all of whom contributed to this issue's special feature. Their writing reveals suppressed voices of queerness in representation and subject matter, even as it questions traditional Korean heteronormativity and gender roles. Through the works featured here, readers will encounter key voices in contemporary Korean LGBTQ+ literature. I am especially pleased to include the graphic novel, In-Between Seasons, by Lee Dong-eun and Jeong Yi-yong, a delicately nuanced story of queer people still hidden in the shadows of contemporary Korean society. Special thanks go to artist Kang Seung Lee for his generosity in letting us use his pioneering art works on queer topics for AZALEA's special artist feature, as well as the cover of this issue. I must add that the LGBTQ+ community has yet to acquire equal rights and standing in Korean culture, and this had a direct effect on AZALEA's efforts to procure works for this special issue. Some writers had to decline for personal reasons. It is my hope that this feature can be a small step towards contributing to much-needed social progress. Sincere thanks go to the two guest editors, Samuel Perry and Kim Keonhyung, for their dedication. I am also happy to publish the works of two writers, Kwon Yeo-sun and Kim Choyeop, whose work showcase new trends in contemporary Korean literature. With humor and sensitivity, Kwon Yeo-sun depicts the conflict and emotional intimacy of private lives; Kim Choyeop is a rising star in Korea's science fiction genre. In addition to contemporary fiction, I am pleased to include poems by Lee Seong-bok, who pioneered a new voice in Korean poetry in the late 1970s and who has continued to pursue new themes such as Buddhism in his work. These poems are featured in this issue. The roots of modern Korean literature lie in its colonial past. Digging up these roots and excavating hidden or forgotten authors has continued to be a key labor of scholars. To this end, the current [End Page 8] issue of AZALEA includes poems by Kim Myŏng-sun and a story by Kim Saryang, whose work is reexamined by ambitious young scholars such as our contributors, Eunice Lee and Oh Yoon Jeong. As the pandemic that began in 2019 evolves into an endemic, we at AZALEA continue our best efforts to introduce and situate Korean literature in the world, shining a light on the shadows and raising the voices of the neglected and suppressed. May 2022 [End Page 9] Copyright © 2022 President and Fellows of...