Kwon Bee-young has published a novel about Princess Deokhye, who was born noble yet died a lonely death. Kwon strived to portray the frustration and suffering experienced by those who went through the times of national decline as vividly as possible (including, for example, Princess Deokhye, the royal family members, young people, women, and children). The writer of this novel has also published a collection of stories called Fables of the Winter.

Having been referred to as the youngest daughter of King Gojong, one of the last royal family members in Joseon Dynasty, the flower of Deoksugung Palace Princess Deokhye had been a political scapegoat since her birth. After witnessing her father’s death at a young age, Princess Deokhye was forcefully brought to Japan and spent her teenage years filled with indifference and surveillance. She later underwent a forced marriage with a Japanese man, confinement in a psychiatric hospital for ten years, and even her daughter’s suicide, which was all followed by a mental and physical breakdown.

What made her keep holding on to her life during this humiliating time was her longing for her home country and her relentless determination to reclaim it. Yet, the country that she had loved so much did not try to get her back after gaining independence. Those who seized power with Korean independence tried to ignore the royal family held hostage by Japan out of concerns that they would be restored to power. Princess Deokhye later managed to step foot in her homeland after 37 years had passed.

가장 고귀한 신분으로 태어났지만 가장 외롭게 생을 마감했던 덕혜옹주에 관한 소설이다. 작가는 덕혜옹주뿐 아니라 망국의 시대를 견뎌야 했던 모든 이들―황제와 황족들, 청년들, 여자들과 아이들―의 울분과 고통을 생생하게 되살리려고 노력했다. 작품집 『그 겨울의 우화』를 펴낸 권비영 작가의 장편소설이다.

고종황제의 막내딸, 조선 최후의 황족, 덕수궁의 꽃이라 불렸던 덕혜옹주는 태어난 순간부터 철저히 정치적 희생자로 살아가게 된다. 어린 나이에 고종황제의 죽음을 목격한 후, 일본으로 끌려가 냉대와 감시로 점철된 십 대 시절을 보낸 그녀는 일본 남자와의 강제결혼, 10년간의 정신병원 감금 생활, 딸의 자살 등을 겪으면서 정서적으로, 신체적으로 쇠약해진다.

그 치욕스러운 시간 속에서 그녀를 붙들었던 건 '조국에 대한 그리움과 삶의 터전을 되찾겠다는 결연한 의지'뿐이었다. 그러나 그녀가 그토록 사랑했던 조국은 해방 후에 그녀를 찾지 않는다. 왕정복고를 두려워한 권력층은 일본에 볼모로 잡혀간 황족들을 외면했다. 결국 37년이 지나서야 그녀는 쓸쓸히 조국 땅을 밟는다.