A Century of Queer Korean Fiction

Selections from the past hundred years of queer Korean literature

Following decades of LGBTQ+ activism, South Korea has seen a flowering of queer literature, film, and Internet culture. Many openly gay, lesbian, transgender, and other queer Korean writers find themselves in the national and international spotlight. But the rich variety of queer representation also extends into the Korean past, as this volume illustrates.

Beginning with contemporary works of fiction by Kim Bi, Sang Young Park, and Yi Seoyoung and reaching back through the last century, this collection includes works by the canonical authors Yi Kwangsu, Yi Kiyŏng, Ch’oe Chŏnghŭi, and O Chŏnghŭi as well as stories by Yu Sŭngjin and Kim Sunyŏng that have been recovered from archives. The introduction places these representations of queerness in their historical and cultural context, explores the sometimes problematic norms found in the stories, and considers the potential these texts hold for destabilizing binaries of sex and gender.

This volume contains the following works: ＂Yundo Is Back＂ (2017), ＂My Queer Year of Junior High＂ (2016), ＂Saltwater Baths＂ (2006), ＂Traditional Solo＂ (1970), ＂Struggling amid This Despair＂ (1965), ＂Spring＂ (1950), selections from the novel Spring (1940), ＂Dear Sister, I’m Off to the Moon＂ (1933), and ＂Yun Kwangho＂ (1918).