Romantic Tales from Old Korea

There are not many old Korean love tales, but everyone knows the story of Chunhyang.In 1892, the first Korean to visit Paris, Hong Jong-u, helped publish a French version of the story of Chunhyang. Titled “Fragrant Springtime” (the meaning of “Chunhyang”), it is the first Korean story ever published in a western language. A couple of years later, a second, more developed novel set in Korea was published, “A Dead Tree Blossoms.” It includes parts of the story of Sim Cheong and her blind father, but is very different in many unexpected ways. In 1919 an English translation of it was published in the US, but nobody noticed it.In this new book, the French version of “Chunhyang” has been translated into English and is published with the 1919 English text of “A Dead Tree Blossoms” and a couple of other Korean love tales translated a hundred or more years ago.Interestingly, the two main stories both express sharp criticism of corrupt officials and a strong concern for social justice.

Brother Anthony of Taize (An Sonjae) was born in 1942 in the UK. He studied Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford and in 1969 he joined the Taize Community in France. He taught English literature at Sogang University, Seoul, for nearly three decades. He is emeritus professor at Sogang University and chair-professor at Dankook University. Since 1990 he has published more than forty volumes of translated works by such esteemed Korean authors as Ku Sang, Ko Un, Cheon Sang-byeong, Shin Kyeong-nim, Park Yuhui, Yi Mun-yol, and Do Jong-hwan. Since January 2011 he has been president of the Royal Asiatic Society s Korea branch. He received the Korean government s Award of Merit, Jade Crown class, in October 2008 for his work to spread knowledge of Korean literature throughout the world. In 2015 he was awarded an honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth for his contributions to Anglo- Korean relations. Robert D. Neff Robert D. Neff is a freelancer writer and historical researcher specializing in Korean history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His writings have appeared in various newspapers, and books including Korean through Western Eyes, Westerner s Life in Korea, Christian Science Monitor, Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch Transactions, Korea Times, Korea Herald and Jeju Weekly.