Kim Wonu

Kim Wonu is a modern South Korean novelist.

Life Kim Wonu was born on April 11, 1947, with sources unclear on Gimhae Gyeongsangnam-do or Jinju Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Kim attended Gyeongbuk University from which he received his B.A. in English and Sogang University from which he received and M.A. in Korean. He has been a member of the group "Jakga" since 1979 and served as Editor in Chief on Minumsa Publishing.

There is, however, a certain reflectiveness that pervades Kim Wonu's fiction, and this quality has much to do with the way in which Kim's own experiences are brought to bear in his fictional accounts. The falsity and hypocrisy that underlie middle-class rhetoric of success is part of his life as well; the sense of weariness generated by life's routines can be detected in Kim's reminiscences of his own youth. Kim Wonu's critical voice thus conveys something stubborn yet honest at the same time. Combined effectively with meticulous, insightful descriptions of ordinary people and events, this voice allows Kim Wonu's works to become something more than mere 'novel of manners' and offer intellectually engaging portraits of life that are at once fiercely critical and heart-warming.

Works in Translation Chinese 禽兽的日子 (짐승의 시간)

Works in Korean (Partial) Story Collections Non-organic Youth (Mugijil cheongnyeon, 1981) Life Studies (Insaeng gongbu, 1983) Hour of the Beasts (Jimseungui sigan, 1986) Racing through the Obstacle Course (Jangaemul gyeongju, 1986) Your Winter (Gyeoul sogui neo) A Story of Three Sisters (Sejamae iyagi, 1988) Remote Days (Adeukhan nanal) Naked Heart (Beolgeobeoseun maeum) The Sea of Patriots (Ugugui bada, 1993)

Awards 1991 Dong-in Literary Award 1998 Dong-sa Literature Award 2002 Daesan Literature Prize