- Overview
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Through Mongsil who endures a time when war has destroyed her family and society, this historic Korean children's fiction book delivers hope and courage to readers.
- Book Intro
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Mongsil's dad, who returns to Korea after the country's liberation from Japanese occupation, is living in poverty. No longer able to endure this hunger and poverty, her mother marries another man in order to feed Mongsil, but soon the man begins to abuse her after the birth of her half-brother. Monsil returns to her dad after she becomes limp. She soon meets a lady from Bukchon who is affectionate and warm, which allows Mongsil to open up although she still suffers from hunger. However, after Mongsil's dad has been drafted into war, she has passed away, leaving Mongsil with a half-brother, Nannam, to look after. In this difficult time of war, Mongsil takes responsibility for raising her little brother and goes through many hardships. She is willing to beg in the streets to take care of her little brother and dad who returned after the war. Her mother has left her with a half-brother and a half-sister named Youndeak and Youngsun before dying of illness. Her father has also passed away after taking ill. This little girl is left with the sole responsibility of these three young siblings, who each have a different mom and dad. As Youndeak and Youngsu leave and Nannam is adopted to a rich family, Monsil is left alone. 30 years later, Monsil is married to a man with a humpback and has two kids. Looking back to those days with her young siblings, Mongsil continues to live her life.
- About the Author
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Kwon Jeong-saeng
(Russian) Детский писатель Квон Чонсэн (1937-2007, настоящее имя Квон Кёнсу) родился в Токио и перебрался в Корею сразу после её освобождения от колониальной зависимости. Он жил в небольшом глиняном доме в уезде Андон провинции Северная Кёнсан и работал звонарём в деревенской церкви. Он прожил жизнь в бедности и болезни и писал о природе, жизни и красоте слабых и обречённых на тяготы и страдания. Писатель оставил после себя более 150 романов и коротких рассказов и более 100 детских стихотворений и песен.
(English) Kwon Jung-saeng (M) was born in Tokyo, but returned to Korea immediately after liberation from Japanese colonial rule (1945). Working as a bell ringer in a small village, he made his debut as a children's story writer in an annual literary competition. Knowing illness and poverty throughout his life, Kwon wrote beautifully about the beauty of nature, life, and those who suffered because of their fragility.
Lee Chul-soo
Lee Chul-soo was born in Seoul in 1954. Currently, Lee is a printmaker who also farms in a countryside village of Jecheon in the North Chungcheong province. Essay collections with prints created by Lee Chul-soo include The One Sound and On the Night when Pear Flowers Fell. Print collections made by Lee include The Bird Also Has Weight and Feelings Carved into a Tree.
