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March Literature Night: Hwang Sung-won’s Descendants of Cain

March’s literature night at the KCC will feature Hwang Sun-won’s 1954 novel The Descendants of Cain, set in the bitter period between liberation and the start of the Korean War. LKL’s review can be found here.

And don’t forget you only have until the end of March to submit your Kim Aeran essay.

Korean Literature Night: Hwang Sung-won’s The Descendants of Cain

28 March, 19.00-21.00
Venue: Korean Cultural Centre UK
Entrance Free – Booking Essential
Apply to [email protected] or call 020 7004 2600 with your name and contact details by Friday 9th March

The booking system utilises a lottery based programme that picks names at random, once the final selection has been drawn we will send you an e-mail regarding the result of the selection.

Available Seats: 15

You can pick up a copy of the book from the KCCUK, once you have received your confirmation e-mail.

Hwang Sun-won: Descendants of Cain

About the Book

The Descendants of Cain is based on author’s own experiences in his North Korean home village between the end of World War II and the eve of the Korean War when Korea had been divided into North and South by its two “liberators” – the United States and the Soviet Union. In this story the Soviet-backed communist party, using the promise of land reform, sets people at each other’s throat. Portrayed here is an entire community caught in the political and social firestorm that brings out the selfishness, cruelty and ignorance of simple people, but also shows their loyalty and nobility.

About the Author

Hwang Sun-Won (1915-2000) is one of the great Korean authors of the twentieth century. Hwang started writing in 1931, publishing his first poem, “My Dream,” at the age of sixteen. In his early period as a writer, Hwang usually depicted folk customs in his works. He devoted himself to the sensuous description of human interiority, and showed great affection for sentiments native to Korea and the people’s traditional spirit.

After 1950, Hwang sought to portray the ideal of mother love through a variety of female characters. In stories such as “Cranes” (1953) and “Rain Shower” (1953), his short fiction reached full maturity. Meanwhile, in great novels such as Living with the Stars (1950), The Descendants of Cain (1954), Trees on a Slope (1960), Sunlight, Moonlight (1962), and The Moving Fortress (1973), he explored in great depth the question of eternity and the problem of existential solitude and alienation.

(automatically generated) Read LKL’s review of this event here.

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