Yi Sang

Korean writer (1910–1937)

Kim Hae Gyeong (hangul=김해경, September 23, 1910 – April 17, 1937), also known as his art name Yi Sang (hangul=이상) was a writer and poet who lived in Korea under Japanese rule. He is well known for his poems and novels, such as Crow's Eye View and Wings. He is considered as one of the most important and revolutionary writers of modern Korean literature.

Kim Hae gyeong was born in Seoul, Korea on September 23, 1910, in Seoul. His father Kim Young Chang worked in the letterpress printing service in a palace before his birth, but after an accident that cut off his finger, he opened a barbershop and made their living. He was raised by his uncle Kim Yeon Pil (hangul=김연필) since 1913, because Yeon Pil and his wife had no children at that point. Later, however, Yeon Pil takes Kim Young Sook (hangul=김영숙) as his concubine and the son she already had, Kim Moon Kyung (hangul=김문경), became a legal son of Yeon Pil. In 1933, he coughed up blood as he had tuberculosis, which had him quit his job as a public official of architecture. Then he opened a coffee house, Jebi, where he had related with other writers and artists. In 1934 he joined the Circle of Nine (Guinhoe; hangul=구인회), of which core members included Kim Kirim, Lee Taejun, and Jung Jiyong. In 1936 Yi Sang edited Siwa soseol (hangul=시와 소설), the Circle of Nine magazine, published by Changmunsa under the aegis of Koo Bonung. His “Street exterior, street passage” (Gaoe gajeon; hangul=가외가전) was published in this journal. His short story “Diary Before Death” (Jongsaenggi; hangul=종생기) and his personal memoir “Monotony” (Gwontae; hangul=권태) were published posthumously in Tokyo. Later, according to Byun Dong rim, Byun Dong rim asked him what he wanted to eat, and he died soon after leaving the words, "Sembikiya's melon." Park Tae won, a fellow literary man and friend, mentions the following, "He loved girl so much, loved alcohol, loved his friends, and loved literature, but not half of it loved his body." And "His death is named as death from illness, but isn't the essence of death suicide? Such suspicions become intense," he said.

Jung Ji yong is a founding member of the Guinhoe which Lee Sang belongs. In 1933, he was an editorial advisor to <Catholic Youth> and played a major role in promoting Yi sang's poems to the world. With the help of Jeong Ji yong, Yi sang published works such as "꽃나무" and "이런시" in Korean in <Catholic Youth>.

Park Tae won and Yi Sang were members of Guinhoe(九人會), which means the Circle of Nine people. And they joined the club in 1934. They first met at Dabang Jebi, which is coffee house opened by Yi Sang in Jong no 1(il) ga. The time when they first met is supposed June or July 1933, because, Kim Ki rim, one of members of Guinhoe, and Ko Un wrote Jebi was held in July 1933 and Kim Ok hee, sister of Yi Sang, wrote June of same year. The story of their first met is written in Park Tae won’s memoir for Yi sang, “Yi sang ui Pyeonmo (hangul=이상의 편모)” after Yi sang’s death. Park Tae won has interest in that Yi Sang is a poet and the poem of first met poet, “Movement (hangul=운동)” Maintaining their relationship, Park Tae won and Yi Sang consulted with worker of newspaper “Joseon Jungang ilbo” to post series of Yi Sang’s poetries, “Ogam do(hangul=오감도)” and Park’s novel “소설가 구보씨의 일일 (小說家仇甫氏─一日)” on the newspaper. They could put their literature in the newspapers, and Yi Sang also composed illustrations for his friend Park Tae won’s novel, “소설가 구보씨의 일일(小說家仇甫氏─一日)". Even if, they encountered harsh criticism because of abstrusities of their literatures, after Yi Sang’s admission to “Guinhoe(九人會)” in fall of 1934, they focused on publication of bulletin “시와 소설 (Poet and Novel)” They also have literary relationship with Yi Sang’s poet “Movement (hangul=운동)” and Park Tae won’s short novel “Bangranjang Juin (芳蘭莊 主人)” Both are written in only one sentence. However, their relation is halted by Yi Sang’s death in Tokyo.

Kim Ki rim, a poet and a newspaper reporter at the Chosun Ilbo, played as one of the founding members of Guinhoe. Initially, Yi was introduced to Kim by Park Tae won. In their first encounter, they talked about Jules Renard, Salvador Dalí, and René Clair. Kim got interested in Yi because there was a common aesthetic affinity about surrealism between them. Kim's 7 letters with Yi Sang remains today with the name "To Kim Ki rim (김기림에게)". The letters were written in 1936 to 1937. In that period, Yi moved to Mainland Japan, and was about to die due to chronic lung disease. In those letters, Yi's everyday thoughts and experiences are represented. For example, in the fourth letter, Yi refers to René Clair, a French filmmaker, and criticize his movie, The Ghost Goes West. On the other hand, he comments about paper of Choi Jae seo, a Korean literature critic, that criticizes works of Yi such as "The Wings (날개)". After the death of Yi Sang, Kim Kirim wrote a tribute named 'Memories of the late Yi Sang (hangul=고 이상의 추억)'. In the tribute, he recognizes the death of Yi Sang as a "tragedy of a reduce printed era", contextualizing Yi's death within a historical framework.

Koo Bon Woong is a painter and art critic who graduated from the Taiheiyo Art School(太平洋美術 學校). He first met Yi Sang at Sinmyeong School. Koo Bon Woong, who had had a hunchback, attended school intermittently because of health problems and ended up graduating alongside Yi Sang, who was four years younger. Koo Bon Woong, teased because of his hunchback, had a keen interest in art. Similarly, Yi Sang, who also had a strong interest in art, became friends with Koo Bon Woong, supporting and respecting him. This marked the beginning of their relationship, which continued into adulthood. In 1933, to care for Yi Sang, who had quit his job as a public official of due to illness, Koo Bon Woong took him to Baechon Hot Springs in Hwanghae Province. Baechon Hot Springs is also known as the place where Yi Sang first met Geum Hong. After Yi Sang's health slightly improved, Yi Sang and Geum Hong returned to Seoul (Koo Bon Woong came back to Seoul before them) and they opened a coffee shop called "Jebi". It is said that Koo Bon Woong's painting, "Still Object with a Doll(hangul=인형이 있는 정물)" (71.4 cm*89.4 cm), was displayed in this café. After Jebi closed down, Yi Sang had no means of livelihood. He eventually found work as a proofreader at Koo Bon Woong's printing press. There, with Koo Bon Woong's assistance, Yi Sang founded a literary magazine called "Poetry and Novel(hangul=시와 소설)" featuring works from members of Guinhoe. Although only the inaugural issue was produced due to a lack of active participation from the members, looking at Yi Sang's postscript in the magazine, it is evident that Koo Bon Woong was a fervent supporter of Yi Sang's artistic activities. Furthermore, Yi Sang's last lover Byun Dong Rim was the younger sister of Koo Bon Woong's stepmother. This somewhat unusual relationship was due to the fact that Koo Bon Woong's stepmother was not significantly older than Koo Bon Woong.

In 1933, 23 years old Yi Sang first encountered Keum Hong, who was Kisaeng, when he was on a trip to Baecheon Oncheon (hangul=배천온천) for recuperation of his tuberculosis. They developed their romantic relationship, thus they managed a coffee house, Jebi, in Jong no 1st Street, Gyeongseong. He designated her as the manager of the coffee house and lived together estimate for two years. Their relationship was rough since they had suffered from financial degradation. She frequently stayed outside then, and accordingly, Yi sang lashed out her mind by mentioning her prior routine as a Kisaeng. In consequence, she beat him physically and often ran away from their home, and eventually, they broke up. Accordingly, in September 1935, the coffee house Jebi was closed. The love story about them is illustrated in his novel, Bongbyeolgi, which means "a story of meet and separate." Moreover, Keum Hong is implicitly appeared in his short story, The Wings (novel), as Yeon shim i (hangul=연심이) is her real name.

After the failure of the coffeehouse Jebi, he took over the cafe 'Tsuru'(Hangul: 쓰루, Kanji: 鶴) by being mortgaged the house held by Yi Sang's parents. He scouted Kwon Soon ok had worked in the other cafe, 'Angel', as a waitress. Since she was highly educated, she had broad interaction with other writers like Jeong In taek. While he fell over to her, their romantic relationship was not completely established. Jeong In taek had a secret crush on her, which led to a romantic triangle. Even Jeong In taek attempted suicide to be in her favor, and after the incident, Kwon Soon ok and Jeong In taek married. Ironically, Yi sang and presided over their wedding ceremony. Following Jeong In taek's death, Gwon Sun ok remarried to Park Tae won.

Byeon Dong rim (hangul=변동림), a writer introduced to Yi Sang through Gu Bon woong, became his wife. Yi Sang and Byeon Dong rim met in 1936, through a set up by Gu Bon woong. Only three months into their marriage, Yi Sang left for Tokyo alone, where his health sharply deteriorated, resulting in his transfer to the attached hospital of Tokyo Imperial University. His condition further worsened due to a sudden arrest, and he was already in a severe state by the time he arrived at the hospital. Upon receiving the news, Byeon Dong rim immediately traveled to Tokyo in two days. After just four months of marriage, Yi Sang passed away in her presence. Their feelings towards each other can be traced through Yi Sang's "Tokyo" (Donggyeong; hangul=동경) and Byeon Dong rim's "The Mind Under the Moon" (hangul=월하의 마음). In later years, Byeon Dong rim reflected on Yi Sang's death, stating, "He lived a most brilliant, enchanted life. The 27 years he spent on this earth were enough time for a genius to fully blossom and then fade away." His literary legacy is punctuated by his modernist tendencies evinced throughout his oeuvre. His poems reveal the desolate internal landscape of modern humanity and, as in “Crow's eye view poem No. 1” (Ogamdo si je1ho), utilize an anti realist technique to condense the themes of anxiety and fear. His stories disjoint the form of traditional fiction to show the conditions of the lives of modern people. “Wings” (Nalgae), for example, utilizes a stream of consciousness technique to express these conditions in terms of the alienation of modern people, who are fragmented commodities unable to relate to quotidian (daily) realities. His most famous short story is "The Wings" ("Nalgae", ), and his poem "Crow's Eye View" is also well known.

Yi Sang: Selected Works (translated by Don Mee Choi, Jack Jung, Joyelle McSweeney, and Sawako Nakayasu), Seattle and New York: Wave Books, 2020. The Wings, Seoul: Jimoondang Publishing, 2001. Three Poets of Modern Korea: Yi Sang, Hahm Dong seon, and Choi Young mi, Louisville: Sarabande Books, 2002. Yi Sang, "Wings," translated by Walter K. Lew, in Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology, eds. Bruce Fulton and Youngmin Kwon. NY: Columbia University Press, 2005. Yi Sang, 20 poems, translated from the Korean by Walter K. Lew, from the Japanese by Edward Mark, in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Korean Poetry, ed. David R. McCann. NY: Columbia University Press, 2004. Meetings and farewells : Modern Korean stories, Chong wha Chung St Lucia QLD: University of Queensland Press, 1980. The Wings : eBook I AHN CREATIVE, 2015. .

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology(GIST) 'Yi Sang's Literature and Science' course, which is opened annually for undergraduate students by Division of liberal arts and sciences of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology(GIST), aims to analyze the Yi Sang's literary works from the perspective of science. In this class, in addition to Korean, the Yi Sang text is created in old Korean, Chinese characters, Japanese, English, German, French, modified characters, coined words, and homonymy language play, and these parts are interpreted modernly. As many scientific elements have appeared in the Yi Sang's literary works, students analyze and discuss what those elements mean from a scientific perspective. They also investigates and presents the Yi Sang's biographical facts, the level of science education in Joseon in the 1920s and 30s, and contemporary writers and works mentioned in the Yi Sang text, and closely analyzes and discusses prose, novels, and poems left by Yi Sang. Through this class, a student at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology wrote a paper that logically interpreted the Yi Sang's "Building Infinite Hexahedral Bodies" and "Triple Angle blueprint" from the perspective of space time design and architecture in four dimensions, causing a great stir in the literary world.