Kim Haegyŏng (Korean: 김해경; Hanja: 金海卿; September 23, 1910 – April 17, 1937), also known by his art name Yi Sang (이상; 李箱) was a writer and poet who lived in Korea under Japanese rule.
[4] Yi's great-grandfather, Kim Hak-jun, held the rank of 'Jeong 3 Pum Dangsangwan' (정3품 당상관 관직: 도정; 都正) in the Joseon Dynasty.
[9][clarification needed] In April 1929, with a recommendation from the college, he got a job as a public official (기수; 技手) in the architecture team of the Department of Domestic affairs (내무국 건축과; 內務局 建築課) of the Government-General of Korea.
In November, he changed positions in the government to work as part of the building maintenance team of the Department of Secretariat and Accounting (관방회계과 영선계; 官房會計課 營繕係).
[6] In March and April 1932, Yi released two Korean novels: Darkroom of a Map (지도의암실; 地圖의暗室) and Suspension of Business and Circumstances (휴업과사정; 休業과事情) on the magazine Joseon.
The group recruited individuals associated with the cultural departments of daily newspapers, aiming for members who could withstand criticism from the KAPF.
To show its character as a literary circle, famous writers at the time such as Lee Hyo-seok, Jung Ji-yong, and Yoo Chi-jin joined the Guinhoe.
In 1936, Yi Sang edited the Guinhoe's magazine, Poetry and Novels (시와 소설; Siwa Soseol),[14] published by Changmunsa under the aegis of Koo Bon-Woong.
His short story "Diary Before Death" (종생기; 終生記; Jongsaenggi) and his personal memoir "Monotony" (권태; 倦怠; Gwontae) were published posthumously in Tokyo.
In 1933, he served as an editorial advisor to
They first met at Dabang Jebi, a coffee house opened by Yi Sang in Jong-no 1(il)-ga. Their first meeting is estimated to have occurred in June or July 1933.
Maintaining their relationship, Park Tae-won and Yi Sang collaborated with the newspaper "Joseon-Jungang-ilbo" to publish a series of Yi Sang's poems, "Crow's Eye View" (Ogam-do; 오감도; 烏瞰圖)", and Park's novel, "A Day in the Life of Novelist Mr. Gubo" (소설가 구보씨의 일일).
After Yi Sang's admission to Guinhoe in the fall of 1934, they focused on the publication of the bulletin "Poet and Novel" (시와 소설).
They also shared literary themes in works like Yi Sang's poem "Movement" (운동; 運動) and Park Tae-won's short story "Bangranjang Juin (방랑장 주인; 芳蘭莊 主人)", both written in a single sentence.
For instance, in the fourth letter, Yi mentions René Clair, the French filmmaker, and criticizes his movie, "The Ghost Goes West."
Yi frequently discussed the progress of his works, such as "The Wings" (날개) and "Diary Before Death" (Jongsaenggi; 종생기; 終生記), requesting Kim's opinions on them.
Koo, who had a hunchback, attended school intermittently due to health problems and ended up graduating alongside Yi Sang, who was four years younger.
In 1933, to care for Yi Sang, who had quit his job as a public official due to illness, Koo Bon-Woong took him to Baechon Hot Springs in Hwanghae Province.
There, with Koo's assistance, Yi Sang founded a literary magazine called "Poetry and Novel" (시와 소설), featuring works from members of Guinhoe.
When Yi Sang was struggling with a series of business failures, Koo got him a job at a publishing company, Changmunsa, founded by his father in 1935.
The motifs of women in Yi Sang's poetry can be largely identified as three figures: Geum-Hong, Kwon Soon-ok, and Byeon Dong-lim.
In 1933, 23-year-old Yi Sang first encountered Geum-Hong, who was a kisaeng (기생; 妓生), during a trip to Baechon Hot Springs (배천온천; 白川温泉) to recuperate from tuberculosis.
However, in the poem "ㆍ素ㆍ榮ㆍ爲ㆍ題ㆍ" and the novel "The Wings", despite his sadness, Yi Sang does not deeply dwell on Geum-Hong's acts of infidelity and prostitution.
After the failure of the coffeehouse Jebi, Yi Sang took over the café 'Tsuru' (Hangul: 쓰루, Kanji: 鶴) by mortgaging his parents' house.
According to Byeon Dong-rim's essay "Moonlight Heart," shortly before his death, Yi Sang reportedly said he wanted to eat "Senbikiya's melon."
In later years, Byeon Dong-rim reflected on Yi Sang's death, stating, "He lived a most brilliant, enchanted life.
The Wings, for instance, employs a stream-of-consciousness technique to express the alienation of modern individuals, who are fragmented commodities unable to connect with quotidian realities.
An article about Einstein's theory of relativity was also published in the first volume of Gongwoo, a magazine created by graduates of Gyeonseong Technical College.
[32] In the following years, more draft notes in Japanese, which are almost certainly thought to be Yi Sang's for several reasons, were found, and they were translated into Korean and introduced from 1960 to 1976.
Regarding the discovery process, Jo Yeon-hyeon explained, "Some time ago, a student named Lee Yeon-bok from the night school at Hanyang University brought an old notebook to me.